YuGiOh!: The Legacy of Tarot
by Fan of Mai
Summary: Eons ago, 21 mythical beasts with awesome powers were locked away in Duel Monsters cards so that their might should never be unleashed on mankind. And yet, at the hands of two young archaeology students, they have been unearthed...
1. Prologue: The Discovery

Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Legacy of Tarot  
  
Prologue  
  
Our story begins long ago, ages before even the Millenium Items filled the earth with their power and might. Those long years ago, when Duel Monsters was a method of war rather than a sport, 21 men and women reigned supreme over all others. None could stand in their way. Entire armies of duelists challenged them and fell like tissue paper to a hot knife. Their secret? Each of these 21 elites carried with them 1 special card, known only as the Tarot Beasts. Forged long before any man can remember and imbued with powerful magic, these dangerous cards tore through the world with their dark magics, corrupting their masters and soon becoming the masters themselves. For a while, the world lay in ruin, all peoples afraid to even venture outside their doors for fear that they too would succumb to the wrath of the Tarot Beasts.  
  
It was, surprisingly, a young girl that was able to stand up to the malice and the corruption of the Tarot Beasts. Though no one knows why she was able to defeat them while entire armies could not, one riddle to explain it has been passed through the generations:  
  
"The Heart of a Child can move mountains."  
  
Codswallop, say most scientists and Duel Monsters experts. Just some pretty rumour started by a troublemaker ages ago to throw everyone off. In their naivety, they knew that a simple child - nor his or her heart - could move a mountain. No one can! Of course, the riddle was clearly a figure of speech, but it did not answer many questions for anyone, and many more arose from it.  
  
But what became of the Tarot Beasts, you ask? Upon Lord Lucius Malgrave Tarot's defeat many ages ago, it is said they were scattered to the winds by the girl that defeated him in hopes that they would never be found again. Unfortunately, one card managed to find it's way right into the hands of an ambitious group of young science majors at Motoh City University..  
  
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"Hey, Craig, look at this!" a young woman called, dressed in a while lab coat and holding what looked to be an archaeologist's brush in her hand.  
  
"What is it, Amanda?" a man replied, rushing over to see what was the matter. Upon arriving at her position, he found that she was holding a somewhat dirty Duel Monsters card that was in surprisingly good condition. Upon it was etched the picture of a court jester dancing foolishly, just about to fall over the edge of a steep cliff.  
  
"It's a Duel Monsters card, I think." she began, pausing for a moment to examine it more closely. The card's name was a bit blurred and withered with age, but she finally managed to make it out. "King of Fools. That's its name. It's old, too."  
  
"Look at that Attack and Defense! This is a pretty powerful card, Amanda!" Craig exclaimed, extending his hand to hold it for himself. He brought it up closer to his nose, examining it through his glasses, a smile painted on his face the whole while. "This card is amazing! What a find! It must have been made by the ancient civilization of Duelists that Professor Duncan was telling us about on the way here."  
  
"We should show the professors, quick! We'll definitely get an A in this course if we've really found an ancient card!" Amanda said excitedly. Her eyes lit up at the very thought of the fame and fortune she would receive for this.  
  
"You're right, Amanda. Professor Duncan! Professor Gardner!" Craig called, waving the card above his head as he hollered. The two professors who had been supervising the expedition, a man and a woman, ran over to see what was the matter.  
  
"What's wrong, Craig?" Professor Duncan, a tall, handsome man asked in his deep voice. Amanda did everything she could to keep from blushing every time his beautiful voice penetrated her ears, and she almost succeeded. Almost. The professor winked at her playfully, knowing that she had a crush on him. It was a harmless crush, after all, since Professor Duncan had been married for 8 years now and he knew that Amanda knew that.  
  
"I. I mean we found this strange card when we were digging over here! I've never seen one like it!" the excited student exclaimed, practically shoving the golden card in Professor Duncan's face.  
  
"Oh? It's that rare, eh?" Professor Gardner, a tall, sexy young woman who was clearly younger than Professor Duncan but quite a lot better looking, joked. She had long, straight brown hair that fell just above her shoulders, and she wore half-circle glasses that only amplified her appearance. She knew that Craig was a pretty avid Duelist. He had come in second in the University's annual Duel Tournament this year, and owned more cards than many students in the entire school. Professor Duncan and Professor Gardner had barely gotten a chance to glance at the card when Amanda interrupted.  
  
"Yeah! It's called the King of Fools. It's really strong!"  
  
Immediately the two professors went white as ghosts. They looked at the students, then at each other, and then at the card. They whispered something back and forth to each other for a while, each one nodding in turn and humming deep in thought to themselves. Still pale, Professor Gardner ran off to gather the rest of the students while Professor Duncan barked an announcement.  
  
"Students! The field trip is now over! Please make your way to the bus so we can return to the school!"  
  
The announcement was met only by a few "Huh?"s and groans from students that had, until this point, been enjoying themselves quite a lot. Reluctant to follow their professors' orders, the budding scientists filed onto the three buses and began to drive back to the school.  
  
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The King of Fools that Amanda and Craig found was indeed one of the 21 Tarot Beasts that plagued the world all those years ago, though the teachers never told them. Whenever any of the students inquired about the card, the teachers would go white and frantically change the subject. A buzz fluttered through the school, but eventually most of the talk of the King of Fools card vanished as the students that had found it graduated and went on with their lives. Was the King of Fools card dead and dormant, as the teachers hope, or was it - and the rest of the Tarot Beasts - still awake, trying to return to each other to plague the world again? Either way, the Tarot Beasts have been unearthed again. The future is dark. 


	2. Chapter 1: The Tare Invitational

**Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Legacy of Tarot**

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**Chapter 1**

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            Our story now takes us to an arena on the bustling island metropolis of Tare City, where the final round of the annual Tare Invitational, a world-famous Duel Monsters tournament, is about to take place. The second finalist is in the process of being chosen, and the match is between a beautiful teenage girl with blonde hair and a shorter, heavier boy with spiky brown hair and glasses. The names "Rebecca" and "Adam" are written in lights on their podiums. From what can be seen, Rebecca has a Flame Champion (1900/1300), Deepsea Warrior (1600/1800), and an Island Turtle (1100/2000) on her side of the field, all in attack mode. She also has a face-down card in play. Adam is clearly doing much worse, with only a Psychic Kappa (400/1000) and a Red Archer Girl (1400/1500) on his field in attack mode. Rebecca is doing quite well with 6700 Life points, and Adam only has 2300.

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"Alright, folks," a voice from the loudspeaker boomed overhead. "This battle is coming to an end, and it's Adam's turn. Let's see if he can turn around Rebecca's overwhelming stranglehold on him."

Adam drew his card and a grin came over his face. He slapped it down on his playing field face-down. "This was a good battle, Rebecca, but I'm afraid this is where it ends. I'll place a card face-down on the field, and place Psychic Kappa in defense mode!" he said, turning the Psychic Kappa card to the side. The creature on the larger field vanished for a moment, then reappeared inside its shell. "Red Archer Girl, attack Rebecca's Island Turtle! That's the end of her, Rebecc-"

"Not so fast, Adam. I played a card face-down, remember?" Rebecca taunted, picking the card up and showing it to him. He gasped as he read the word "Reinforcements" on the card's label, and he groaned. "A trap card; Reinforcements. This card allows me to add 500 attack points to whichever card I wish for one turn, and I choose to add them to Island Turtle!"

For a moment, Island Turtle's attack and defense of 1100/2000 were shown on screen. The attack portion increased rapidly to 1600, and the battle continued. Red Archer Girl peeked out of her shell with a bow in hand, an arrow nocked to the string. In a fluid motion, she launched the arrow at Island Turtle, who simply deflected the attack completely. Raising its foot as high as it could, the tortoise slammed down on the ground of the arena, sending a shockwave forth that destroyed Red Archer girl where she stood. Adam's Life points dropped by 200, to 2100.

"I believe it's my turn!" Rebecca said with a playful grin. Her slender hand reached over to her deck and she drew a card. Immediately she chuckled and looked over in Adam's direction. "This was fun, darling, but I'm afraid it ends here. Sorry! I play a Magic card: Raigeki!"

There's no need for an explanation here – just about every Duelist knows what Raigeki can do to an opponent's field, and their game. Bolts of lightning flashed overhead, and in a swift, brilliant moment, Psychic Kappa was removed from the field. Rebecca laughed and continued her victory speech.

"I'm not finished yet! Flame Champion, Deepsea Warrior, attack Adam!"

On her command, the flaming warrior and the aquatic defender leapt forward in a synchronized manner, flame and water combining to slash away at Adam's remaining Life points. His total soon dropped to 0 and his podium began to lower along with Rebecca's. The field emptied and the players picked up their cards, moving towards each other to shake hands. While they exchanged their congratulations, the loudspeaker boomed louder than ever.

"Rebecca has won! Rebecca goes on to the Tare Invitational's Final round to face Nick Maximus for the grand prize!"

Overhead in the finalist's box seats, Nick sat watching the battle. He was a tall, well-built teenager, though not overly muscular, with deep brown eyes and hair that is usually spiked. He was dressed unusually fancily that day – customary for the Tare finalists, being that the city is known for its parties and balls – with a classy tuxedo and a Christmas tie that is all too corny and yet classy at the same time. He wasn't particularly fond of himself, but in the Tare invitational, the finalists don't get to choose their own wardrobe for the final match.

"Wow… she's good. I'm going to have a tough time beating her, guys!"

He was, of course, talking to his two friends, labeled by the Tare Duel Council as VIPs for the time being. One was a boy with black hair and tanned skin, just a bit shorter than Nick himself. The other was about the same height, a girl with beautiful auburn hair and striking brown eyes.

"Oh come on, Nick. You'll cream her." Mark, the black-haired boy, exclaimed.

"Mark's right – she's a pushover compared to you!" Alyssa, the girl, reassured him with a smile. Nick smiled right back, though still a bit unsure of himself. He held his deck tightly in his hand, flipping through it absentmindedly, not really looking at it all that closely. "Maybe if we go over your deck again it'll make you feel better. You know, to make sure that it's perfect."

"Yeah, Alyssa's right! We've still got about an hour before the match."

"Alright… alright, yeah! That sounds like a good idea." Nick said, moving over to a couch by the coffee table. He began laying his cards down as his friends joined him.

"You've still got those Harpie Ladies and Harpie Lady Sisters, right?" Alyssa asked, watching as he laid down the cards. One of the cards she had mentioned, a Harpie Lady, was placed on the table and Nick nodded.

"Yeah, and the Elegant Egotists to go with them."

"Good… if it weren't for them, I might have beaten you in our last match!" She laughed, sifting through the visible cards.

"What about that Millenium Shield your mom bought for your birthday?" Mark wondered, not seeing the card on the table.

"Of course! That card is an invaluable defense tool. I wouldn't leave it behind." Nick exclaimed, beginning to sort his cards into groups to remind himself which could be used in unison, which should be used in unison, and so on.

"Don't forget your Castle of Dark Magic and Pumpkin the King of Ghosts combination." Alyssia reminded him, which prompted a nod from the finalist.

"I've also got that Change of Heart combo in here, which should help."

"Yeah…" Mark began, soon interrupted by the voice on the loudspeaker. "Woah! You're on, Nick! Don't keep the fans waiting!"

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Just a few minutes later, Nick was standing on his podium opposite Rebecca, who was dressed in a glittering blue dress, and she looked as though she was ready to go straight to a ball. After finishing the usual "Rock, Paper, Scissors"-like method of choosing turn order, it was decided that Rebecca would draw first while Nick would have the first attack. Both players drew their cards, and Rebecca seemed rather pleased with her hand.

"Alright, hun… I'll play this card in defense mode, as well as this card face down." She told him, placing the cards down in their respective positions. Nothing spectacular happens, as her side of the field is completely face down. "Your turn."

"Hmmm… not a perfect hand, but I do have a Harpie Lady. All I need is an Elegant Egotist and I can summon the Harpie Lady Sisters!" Nick thought to himself, picking out a couple of cards from his hand. "I place Neo the Magic Swordsman in Attack mode, as well as another card, face down!" As he spoke, he placed the cards down on his field. Neo the Magic Swordsman apparated onto the larger field, facing Rebecca's as-of-yet empty field. "Neo the Magic Swordsman, attack Rebecca's defense card!"

The blade-wielding sorcerer ran forward as quickly as he could, and a blast of energy surrounded his sword. Rising upwards and readying himself for a vertical slash to whatever the monster might be, Neo was greeted by a small arachnid made completely of metal. The sword came down and sliced the hapless foe clean in two, which immediately prompted a thoughtful look from Nick as Neo returned to its post. 

"Is that all you've got, Rebecca? It's a wonder you got this far." The finalist taunted, knowing that she boasted more talent than she was showing at the time. He had seen her in action, and he knew very well that she was an accomplished, learned Duelist.

"You forget, my darling opponent, that Steel Scorpion carries with it a very special effect!" Rebecca grinned, pulling the card out of the Graveyard for a second. "When a non-machine type monster attacks Steel Scorpion, it has 3 turns left to live. Then, on my 3rd endphase, that monster… goes bye bye!" She returned the card to the Graveyard pile and placed her elbows on the mini playing field before her, resting her head in her hands. "I think that makes it my turn, doesn't it?"

Slipping her hand over her deck and sliding a card into her hand, Rebecca looked over the cards available to her for a brief moment. It seemed like only seconds before she was grinning again, apparently having formulated the master plan that would win her the battle.

"Ohh, this is a good one. I think you'll like this move, Nick. I play Polymerization to combine Queen's Double and Hibikime!" The second finalist announced, placing those cards in their respective positions on the field. Queen's Double and Hibikime apparated where Steel Scorpion once stood, still as statues. When the spinning vortex of Polymorph appeared, however, the two creatures were sucked inside without a sound. For what seemed like minutes the two did their magical dance within the portal before, finally, a new monster erupted from within. "Meet Empress Judge. I could attack and destroy your pitiful Neo the Magic Swordsman right now, but since Steel Scorpion's poison is doing a good enough job of that, I'll leave Empress Judge in attack mode. Your turn, my love. Neo the Magic Swordsman has 2 End phases left."

Reluctantly, Nick drew a card. He knew that Rebecca would never attack his Neo the Magic Swordsman as long as the face-down card, which as far as she knew could have been a trap card, was there, and as long as Steel Scorpion's venom was working away at him. He needed something to either destroy Empress Judge completely, or something that would at least stall any further attacks. What he saw made him light up – it wouldn't ruin her completely, but it would give him time to think up something else.

"I'll place Harpie Lady on the field. As well, I'll play a Magic Card, Elegant Egotist." Nick smirked, placing the two cards in their positions on the mini-field before him. The Harpie Lady, wings and all, appeared right beside the coughing Neo the Magic Swordsman, staring only straight forward. "As you know, Elegant Egotist allows me to Special Summon a Harpie Lady Sisters card from my Hand or my Deck – I shall do so now, and play the Harpie Lady Sisters in defense mode." Reaching into his deck, he shuffled through until he found the card he wanted. Placing the trio of Harpies on the field right beside their sister, Nick shuffled the deck just as the card specified. "Your turn, Rebecca."

A bit curious as to what her opponent was so calm about, Rebecca drew a card. Judging by the look on her face, it wasn't anything particularly special, or something that she needed at the time. However, she still had two other cards in her hand, and judging by her past efficiency with her cards, Nick knew that she might still have some lethal combination waiting for him.

"I'll play a card face-down in defense mode, and I'll play this card as well." Rebecca noted, putting one card in the monster section and the other in the Magic and Traps section of the field. All Nick could see was still that Empress Judge, and he had know idea whether her two face down cards in the Magic/Trap area were traps that would seriously rupture his game. He did know this: one wrong move could lose him the match. "Empress Judge, use your Judgement attack on Harpie Lady!"

Without moving, a ray of light shined down upon Harpie Lady. In a brief, fluid motion, Empress Judge snapped her fingers and caused the beam of light to vanish – when it disappeared, so had Harpie Lady. Nick's Life Total flashed on his podium, and the 8000 dropped to 7200. He was still far from out, however.

"That makes it my turn, Reb—"

Just then, before Nick even had the chance to draw a card, a great rumbling shook through the arena. Panic arose, and spectators found themselves frantically dashing for whatever exit was closest. Figuring that the island was suffering the effects of an earthquake, Nick and Rebecca prepared to pick up their cards and continue the fight later. It was then that an explosion was heard and a huge chunk of debris fell not 10 feet from Nick's podium. Looking up, both contestants saw a strange robed man floating down through a hole in the roof, eyes fixated on the both of them.

"You… are the finalistssss…" The figure hissed, yellow eyes staring down at them.

"Yeah, and who are you?" Nick asked demandingly. He wasn't afraid anymore – just angry that this show off had decided to ruin their battle. He wasn't even that aware that the man was actually floating in the air, a rather abnormal feat.

"My name isss not important… We will duel…"

"What? Why should I duel you?" Nick asked, getting even angirer that he seemed to have been ORDERED to duel, not asked.

"They… are sssseeking… a masssster…"

"They? Who are 'they?'"

"Duel… we will duel!" The robed man hissed. He was wearing flowing green clothes and looked like he was taken straight from the desert. There was barely an inch of his skin that wasn't covered by the silky green material, save for his eyes and hands. His voice got more and more impatient as he continued speaking. Reluctant to say anything too hasty that would upset this maniac, Nick finally got up the courage to speak.

"Rebecca, leave while you can. Leave this show off to me!"

"What?" She began, seemingly perplexed. "And let you have all the fun?" A wink followed, and she pressed a few buttons on her console. Her Empress Judge vanished from her side of the board and reappeared on Nick's, as did the two face-down cards she had placed. Nick smiled as he realized what she was doing, and he moved aside as she started running over to his podium, cards in hand.

"Alright! If you wish to duel, you'll duel both of us! You'll pay for interrupting our match." Nick and Rebecca taunted in unison. Their monsters were just as brave, staring motionless towards their new enemy.

"We… shall ssssee…" The green figure barked. Waving his hand once, a multitude of cards began to fly out of his robes at blinding speeds, ripping through the air and placing themselves in a neat pile where a contestant's deck would be. "They… will have a new masssster… before the day issss done… We duel!!"


	3. Chapter 2: The Sorcerer of Serpents

**Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Legacy of Tarot**

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**Chapter 2: The Serpent's Bite**

When last I left you, our up-and-coming duelists Rebecca and Nick were gearing up to face off against a hooded intruder with a forked tongue, a violent attitude, and a short temper. The snake-like figure, whose name had not yet been given to his opponents, was quite obviously not human – far from it, at that. Perhaps he was, once. Perhaps someone or something changed him for the worse. Either way, his rash interruption of the Tare Invitational finals match had quite sparked Nick's curiosity – and his temper.

Slowly, the figure reached over his deck with his scaly green hand, drawing the usual 5 cards that all duelists start a match with. Between them, Nick and Rebecca also had five cards, but they were at an advantage – three of their own monsters already populated the field, and they had three face-down cards ready for action at any moment. A glint of yellow was seen from under the creature's green hood as he looked in their direction, and he placed a card face-down in defense mode, as well as another card in the Magic portion of the field. Saying nothing, he looked up at them as if daring them to attack. A bit reluctant, each of them drew their card. Nick and Rebecca whispered to each other for a few brief, fleeting moments before deciding on what to do. They were at a slight disadvantage in that they had only 1 Summon per turn, which meant that only one of them could place a monster. It took a while, but it was decided that Nick would place his monster this turn.

"I play Harpie's Brother in attack mode, and I play Black Pendant as well!" Nick began with a chuckle, certain that he'd come up with a rock-hard monster this time. "Harpie's Brother's attack is now 2300."

"I'll start this round off with an attack! Empress Judge, use your Judgement Ray on our opponent's face-down card!" Rebecca ordered, and just as before, a ray of light began to shine down upon the reptilian opponent's face-down card. However, this beam of energy bounced backwards just as quickly, shining itself all over Nick's and Rebecca's field. This prompted a chuckle from their opponent.

"Foolsss… I played a Trap card… Mirror Forccce… It negatesss all your damage thisss round and dessstroysss all your attack posssition monssstersss on the field."

Just as he had promised, the Empress Judge's reflected Judgement Ray attack made quick work of their entire playing field, destroying the Harpie's Brother, Harpie Lady Sisters, Neo the Magic Swordsman, and Empress Judge. This left their field near empty, with only a few face-down cards left to protect their life points.

"Drooling Lizard, attack!" The reptile hissed under his green hood. The image of a small lizard became visible to the combatants, and despite its petite stature, Drooling Lizard ran right towards Nick and Rebecca, prepared to attack their life points directly. It did, and their Life total dropped from 8000 to 7100. However, immediately afterwards, that same total increased above and beyond normal, to 8100! This, of course, made their opponent very angry.

"Let's not get angry now, my nameless foe!" Nick chuckled, trying to keep his cool. He knew that wearing down your opponent's mind was just as important as actual card strategy. "I just played a simple trap; Numinous Healer. This card allows me to increase my Life by 1000 points when I am attacked. I just chose to activate it now."

Another hiss followed, accompanied by a furious slam of their foe's fist on the playing field. A few of his cards shook out of place, but he returned them just as quickly. Nick and Rebecca simply laughed at his short temper.

"Very well… it isss your turn…"

The dynamic duo nodded, and each drew their card for that round. Again they conversed in no more than a whisper, formulating a plan that would deal as much damage as possible to their aggressor. Rebecca drew one card from her hand while Nick drew two, and each placed them on the field.

"I play Dark-Piercing Light!" Nick began, sliding the card into position. A bright light flooded the battlefield, even causing the snake-man to shield his eyes, and when he looked back, his face-down card was revealed to be a trap. "Waboku, eh? No matter. I'll play this card face-down."

"My turn! I play Gemini Elf in attack mode!" Rebecca announced, slamming the card down face-up on her field. Ripples of light coursed through the console and the twin elves appeared battle-ready on the field, arms interlocked, prepared to fight as one. "Gemini Elf, attack Drooling Lizard!"

The two elves began to dash in the hapless reptile's direction, only to be halted for a brief moment by Waboku. The figure chuckled, knowing that he had stopped their attack… or had he?

"Ah ah ah, not so fast!" Rebecca laughed, whipping a card from the field into her hand. "We played Seven Tools of the Bandit! This card allows us to negate the effects of your own trap card. Clever, huh?"

As their antagonist hissed impatiently once more, the priestly figures that were Waboku vanished instantly into thin air, leaving Gemini Elf prepped and ready to pummel Drooling Lizard into submission. The snake-man's Life points dropped to 7000 as a result.

"My turn…" The grim aggressor growled, drawing a card of his own. Suddenly, a deep look of victory and success came over what they could see of his face, and he hastily slapped a card down on the field. "Now you will witnessss the true power of the Tarot Beastsss! Sssorcerer of Ssserpentsss, come forth!"

Slapping the card down on his field, Nick's opponent caused a robed snake with arms to slither onto the field, energy beams crackling at regular intervals between its hands. The two finalists looked at themselves, stunned. They, in all their dueling years, had never seen a card anything like this. Also, it was easily more powerful than any of the cards they possessed, with an attack strength of 3000!

"I also play Harpie'sss Feather Duster, to dessstroy each trap or magic card on your field."

A grey feather began to flutter above Nick and Rebecca, and as it lowered, it opened into a merry dance that swept their two face-down cards right off the field and into their graveyard. They could have sworn the giggling of a Harpie Lady was heard afterwards, but it could have been a figment of their imagination.

"Sssorcerer Ssserpentsss, attack Gemini Elf with Lightning Volley!"

The Sorcerer of Serpents' hands began to crackle a bright yellow-and-blue colour, pure energy roaring through its veins. In an attack powerful enough to awe even the most hardy of Duel Masters, a blast of pure energy was thrown forth, disintegrating the twin elvenkin where they stood. Our heroes' Life total dropped to 7000, putting them even with their aggressor.

"Rebecca, what the hell is that thing?" Nick whispered frantically, bent over so that the reptilian foe could not see their words.

"I haven't got a clue… he called it a Tarot Beast, but what does that mean?"

"All I know is that it means big trouble… look at that attack strength! I don't think I have a single card that could take that down! And I'm all out of Trap Cards!"

"Me too… well, I guess all we can do now is prey…"

Gulping low in their throats, the duo took their cards and looked them over carefully. They knew that from this point on, any mistake would mean certain loss on their part. Anything, ANYTHING at all that could take down the Sorcerer of Serpents would be accepted. Their hearts sank; no powerful monsters, no all-encompassing magic cards. However, Rebecca did have one trick left up her sleeve.

"I'll play this card face-down… I'm afraid that's the best I can do!" She smirked, trying to keep her cool. She knew that her plan was a long shot, but the course of this battle depended on its success. "Your turn."

"Very well…" Their opponent chuckled, drawing a card. He grinned even further, placing another card in Attack mode on the field. "I play Vorssse Raider in attack mode… attack their face-down card!"  
The beast with the curved blade lumbered forward, much to the dismay of Rebecca and her plan. A few quick slices were all it took to dispatch of the card she had played; Dimensional Warrior. After the last swipe had found its mark, a rift seemed to open in the center of the battlefield. Dimensional Warrior simply jumped in of its own free will; Vorse Raider was sucked in afterwards, definitely NOT of its own free will. Rebecca simply sighed sadly – the best plan she had on such short notice had failed.

"Now… Sssorcerer of Ssserpentsss… attack them, now!"

Once again brimming with energy, the Tarot Beast lobbed forth its volley of electrical energy. Slamming hard into Nick and Rebecca's podium, the entire stadium seemed to rumble violently, and pieces of it even fell to the ground. Their Life points fell drastically from 7000 to 4000.

To be honest, things weren't looking too good as they drew their cards. Nick's face lit up as he saw the Millenium Shield in his hand; however, as a Level 6 monster, it required a Tribute to be played in battle. With Sorcerer of Serpents in play, that wasn't likely to be an option.

"I wish I had something better, Nick, but this is all I've got…" Rebecca whispered, playing a card face-down in Defense mode. "What about you?"

"Not much… I've got a trap, but I doubt it will do us much good at this point." He replied in defeat. "Alright… your turn." The finalist shouted at his opponent, showing as much false confidence as he could muster.

The snake-man drew his card once more, as well. Again he laughed, and Rebecca and Nick felt their hearts jump into their throats as he played his next card. Though not the most powerful card in the whole of Duel Monsters, it would certainly add to their horrid position.

"I play La Jinn the Myssstical Genie of the Lamp in attack posssition. Ussse Three Wishesss on their face-down card!"

Waving its hands in a strange fashion, La Jinn snapped its fingers and created a ball of shadowy energy in its hands. Then another. And another. These three spherical energy blasts orbited its body before, on his command, they shot directly at the face-down card, with revealed itself to be Beaver Warrior. A raising of its shield and a quick squeal were all that were heard before the poor beast was lugged off to the Graveyard pile.

"Thisss hasss been… enchanting… but I mussst end our battle here and now. First, I equip Sssorcerer of Ssserpents with Dark Pendant, increasssing itsss attack to 3500. Now, Lightning Volley!" He commanded, prompting an obedient nod from his monster. The beast charged up just as before, only the energy seeming more chaotic and destructive this time, volleying the charged beam of energy right into their Life points. After the onslaught, they were left with a shoddy 600 Life points to go by. "And it doesssn't ssstop there. I play Final Flame, which decreassses your Life pointsss by a further 600! Hahahahaha!"

The cold realization of defeat swept over Nick and Rebecca. Not only had they been beaten by this flying show off, they had been DECIMATED by him. One thing was still on their mind, however, beyond even the fact that they had lost the match: what would happen to them now that he had beaten them?

"Now… I shall take… my prize…" The reptile growled. His cards had, at this point, vanished into his robes, and he was darting through the air in Nick's direction, arms outstretched to snatch him right off the podium! Just as he reached a mere three feet from his target, Rebecca leapt in the reptilian aggressor's path, she herself becoming entangled in his clutches! "Not what I had intended… but you shall do, my pretty…"

"No! Leave her alone, you bastard!" Nick roared, slamming his fist on the playing field. The snake simply chuckled and levitated upwards, finally soaring through the hole he had created earlier. His new prize was tucked firmly underneath his arm, screaming fiercely as she vanished from sight. "Dammit… you bastard…"


	4. Chapter 3: The Tarot Beasts

**Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Legacy of Tarot**

****

**Chapter 3: The Tarot Beasts**

Before Nick had even had a chance to get the facts of this little endeavour into his head, a team of men and women dressed in white lab coats burst onto the scene. They spread out and covered the ruined stadium like a swarm of bees on a field of daisies, turning over rocks, looking under chairs, examining the battlefield, and leaving no nook or cranny of the arena unchecked. An older man who wasn't dressed like the rest of the scientists came up to Nick, not seeming to care much for his current state of grief and wonder. In fact, the old tycoon looked quite carefree. Wealth must do that to a person.

"Excuse me, are you Nick Maximus, one of the finalists in the Tare Invitational?" The man asked, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his black velvet suit. A golden monocle was placed firmly in his right eye as he looked down on Nick, and his nearly bald head showed only the slightest signs of bleach-white hair. He wasn't particularly wrinkled, but it was obvious that he was getting on in age. Nick simply said nothing, looking upwards and glaring at the man as if both saying "What's it to you?" and "What happened, dammit?" The man chuckled and rocked back and forth on his feet a couple of times, pressing on. "I am Lord Bertram Philps, headmaster of Muto City University. The science department – the Duel Monsters branch, in particular – has been studying the Tarot Beasts in great deal, and we beli—"

"Nick! Nick!!" A female voice interrupted, causing the man to whirl around impatiently and see what the cause of all this commotion was. He saw a boy and a girl, both about Nick's age, running down the corridor to their vicinity. The girl was even pushing a few scientists out of the way who stood in her path, especially those that had been designated to stop bystanders from entering the examination area. She was dressed in a pair of tight blue jeans and a pretty red shirt with a midriff. Her blonde hair danced behind her as she ran alongside a boy with short black hair, dressed in rather mediocre black jeans and a white t-shirt.

"Excuse me, miss, but you are—"

"Who the hell is this guy?" She asked, finally reaching his podium and pointing at Bertram. "Did he cause all this, Nick? If he did, I'll…" She threatened, stepping forward offensively. Bertram took a step back, waving his hands to show that he meant no harm.

"I assure you, miss, I had no part in the catastrophe that rocked this stadium just a short while ago! In fact, I—" Bertram began, only to be interrupted by Mark.

"Well what DID cause the catastrophe, then?" He inquired of Bertram, assuming that the older man was the one to ask about this topic, since he apparently knew the most about it.

"Please, follow me. I shall make all known to you in time."

------------------

Minutes later, Alyssa, Mark, Nick, and Bertram were sitting in a luxuriously fashioned limousine. This thing had the works – a television, a VHS/DVD player, a mini bar, leather couches lining the walls, and even a miniature fridge full of expensive foods like caviar and shrimp. Our three heroes were quite impressed by the spectacular vehicle, but Bertram was apparently quite used to the star treatment. When their excitement finally died down, the group redoubled their questioning.

"So what the hell caused that explosion?" Alyssa fumed.

"And… what was that thing… that took Rebecca?" Nick asked, still a hint of a tear in his eye. The entire ordeal had apparently been too much for the poor boy, and such a thing was to be expected, considering he was a part of it.

"Rebecca? Who is Rebecca, my dear boy?" Bertram asked in his thick British accent, assuming that Nick has simply gone a bit mad from the incident.

"Rebecca, the other finalist!" He growled, not in the mood for being questioned.

"You mean he… oh no!  This is worse than I thought. There is very little time." Bertram told them, knocking on the tinted window that stood between him and the driver. "Take us to the airport, quickly." The driver nodded and turned the key, stepping on the gas to take them towards the airport.

"So what happened? I want details, and you have them!" Alyssa ordered, staring the old tycoon right in the eyes and making him feel rather uncomfortable. Chuckling nervously, Bertram began to regale them with his story.

"Alright, alright. I shall tell you what I know. The creature you saw, or so we speculate, was Xel'Zerpi, a strange magician that once lived ages and ages ago, in the times when Duel Monsters were not used as a sport, but in war. He—"

"Woah, wait up, wait up – you're telling us that the weirdo Nick saw was a 2,000 year old wizard that's back from the dead?" Mark asked, seriously not believing Bertram's story. Alyssa was positively steaming, thinking that this old coot was holding back information and mocking them at that.

"Not entirely, no. Xel'Zerpi never actually died – he was granted immortality by the power of the Tarot Beasts."

"The Tarot Beasts? This Xel'Zerpi guy mentioned them in our duel… he said 'Now you'll feel the true power of the Tarot Beasts', and then he played an absurdly strong card." Nick said quietly, staring off into space. His eyes were distant and worrisome, filled with wonder and disbelief at the words he was hearing.

"The Sorcerer of Serpents, yes. He actually used it in your duel? Then it does exist… as I feared…"

"What? What did you fear?" Alyssa asked, calming down a bit now. She still seemed absolutely unimpressed by this fairy tale that she was being fed, but she was apparently also willing to put up with it.

"A week ago, a team of scientists on a field trip in the Nevada Desert dug up a card. Even the students could tell that it was very old, and the teachers confirmed that it was from the ancient time period I told you about. This card was called the King of Fools, an extremely powerful card that was used in war. The teachers took it and immediately quarantined it in our science facility, making sure that no one could touch it until it was properly tested and examined."

"You mean… it was a Tarot Beast, too?" Mark asked, growing much more interested in the story. He leaned forward and rested his chin in his hands, watching Bertram wide-eyed.

"Yes. The King of Fools is a Tarot Beast as well, but it has no master – err, that is, it has no host. You see, all Tarot Beasts require a host to rise to their full potential. Their host, often called their master, sometimes takes on the properties of their card – as you saw with Xel'Zerpi. We had the professors quarantine King of Fools immediately to ensure that it did not find its way into the hand of any Duelist, of which there are many in the school, and thus grow to its full power."

"So what has this got to do with us?" Alyssa inquired. It appeared as though these recent facts had drawn her in, and she was believing Bertram's story more and more each minute.

"Well… nothing. We simply need to take you to Muto city for an interview and a physical examination." Bertram said very matter-of-factly, rustling around in his pocket and pulling out a stopwatch attached to a chain.

"A physical examination? Why?" Mark asked.

"You won't need one; Nick, however, will." The headmaster began, looking in the young finalist's direction. "Sorcerer of Serpents attacked you, did it not?" He asked. Nick nodded slowly, his eyes narrowed deep in thought. "Then we must ensure that the attack has not had any sort of negative side effect on you. You see, the Tar—errr… ah, here we are!"

"What? What sort of negative side effects?" Nick demanded to know, his voice booming louder than it had been in a while.

"Nothing, nothing. Nothing to be concerned about. It is just a precaution. Once we've finished, we'll send you on your way. Our department will take it from there."

"No! That thing took Rebecca! I'm not leaving her in his clutches, no matter what you or your school says!" The finalist roared, only refrained from standing up by the somewhat low roof.

"Oh, I had forgotten about Rebecca…" Bertram began with a look of worry on his face. He scratched his chin, deep in thought before continuing. "No matter. We will take care of that matter. It is nothing for you to trouble yourselves over. Come, let us go. My jet is waiting for us."

Slipping quietly out of the limousine, Nick shook his head slowly. He didn't fully trust this Bertram Philps, and he wasn't at all prepared to let him go after Rebecca without involving Nick at all. Things just didn't seem to add together, and Nick intended to _make_ them add together, with the University's help or not. _"__I don't like this, not one bit…_


	5. Chapter 4: The Beginning

**Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Legacy of Tarot**

****

**Chapter 4: The Beginning**

Mere hours later, Bertram was leading Alyssa, Mark, and Nick into a grand facility that could obviously be deemed Muto University. It seemed impossibly tall and wide, with countless windows on each floor, glittering in the sunlight like crystals. Students that were around Nick's age, though generally a few years older, were enjoying themselves on the bountiful park grounds where there were swing sets, gardens, and even a quiet little forest where they could go to sit and relax. Needless to say, the three were quite amazed at the work that must have gone into such a beautiful, awe inspiring building, and they found themselves wondering just how Mr. Philps managed to pull it all off.

Upon entering the school, they were greeted by an absolutely massive grand hall. The dome ceiling, reaching all the way up to the roof of the building, was like a skylight made of stained-glass. Pictures of all kinds of Duel Monsters could be seen on the dome, though none of them quite resembled the one Nick had seen in his duel. There were couches, chairs, tables and desks in absolutely every direction, and each one seemed to be occupied by students reading, eating, or dueling. Already they could see that the University had a strong background in Duel Monsters, and with every passing moment, they all found themselves wishing they too could come to this prestigious establishment. The thought of the enrollment prices for such an amazing place of learning, however, kept their imaginations from going too wild.

"Through here, and we'll be to the science department, Duel Monsters branch." Bertram announced. He reached slowly into his black velvet suit's pocket and pulled out a keycard of some kind. One swipe of the card through the lock created a beep, a whistle, AND a flash of lights as the large, heavy metal door slid open quietly. Stepping in, they could see the most amazing facility they'd ever laid eyes upon: everywhere, absolutely _everywhere, men, women and students were examining, playing with, and testing Duel Monsters cards! They could hardly help but drop their jaws in pure amazement at just __how involved in Duel Monsters this school was! Bertram simply chuckled in his own mildly arrogant way as they continued. "It is impressive, isn't it? We at MCU are very involved in the science of Duel Monsters. We examine all sorts of cards day and night, and we have even created many of our own in the past. All our cards have been approved and marketed by the IDMC (International Duel Monsters Council)."_

"You mean… you… _make_ cards here?" Mark asked in sheer amazement. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was too good to be true! Out of the three of them, Mark was probably the most interested in the sciences of Duel Monsters – the combinations, the strategies, the tricks. He had always aspired to create a card and get it approved by the IDMC. At this point, he had created many a card of his own, and sent prototypes to the IDMC for reviewing, but none of them had ever received their stamp of approval. "And you've gotten them _all approved by the IDMC?"  
"Yes, yes." Bertram chuckled, adjusting his monocle to see Mark more clearly. "It serves as a good source of monetary funds for the school. We have even been invited by the IDMC to create an entire Card Expansion for the Duel Monsters game, of 100 cards! Can you imagine? Our scientists and students have been working hard to fill this quota, and we're almost there. All the IDMC needs to do is give the go-ahead, and the expansion will be in full production by the end of the year. Magnificent, don't you think?"_

Nick was a bit jealous. He, too, had always wanted to create a card that he could call his own. He wasn't as avid about it as Mark was, but he had expressed an interest in the idea in the past. Of course, none of his ideas had been approved, either. In fact, he had heard that the IDMC had some of the toughest criteria for approval in the world. According to something he'd read on the internet, only 1/200 cards actually get their approval… and yet Bertram Philps says that they've gotten every single card they've ever created approved. That simply added to the young duelist's suspicions. He said nothing, however; the biggest thing on his mind was how to get Rebecca back from that creepy Xel'Zerpi thing.

"Now, please follow me. We are a bit behind schedule, I must admit. This way, please."

-------------------------------

A few fleeting moments later, Nick found himself standing in an empty cubicle-type room with only a hospital gown on. He couldn't see through the walls around him, but he knew that there were people watching him through those same walls. This was the physical examination he had been told about, and for as long as he had been there, he hadn't seen or heard a thing. It was like nothing was actually happening. No beeps, no clicks, no flashing lights, nothing. He had to wonder if they had put him in here, forgotten about him, and gone on to do their own things. It was a sound-proof booth, after all, and he couldn't hear a damn thing outside the cubicle.

"Alright, sir, you may step out of the booth now." A voice told him through a speaker overhead. A small door slid open on one side of the cubicle, leading into the dressing room where a nice new set of clothes were awaiting him. It took no more than a few minutes for Nick to change into the jeans and sweater given to him (each had the insignia of Muto City University on them, clearly as a shameless plug for the school), and he was out the door to find Alyssa and Mark.

The halls outside the dressing room were dark and quiet – unnaturally so, in fact. A few hushed voices could be heard here and there, but at first glance, things seemed to the naked eye as though they were not quite right. Nick did not feel any reluctance or hesitation as he walked through the hallways, however; Bertram had told him that they kept the lights down so that they wouldn't waste too much energy by using the special pieces of technology kept in this department. As Nick rounded a corner, apparently the _wrong corner, he saw Bertram and a female scientist talking in hushed voices. Slipping quietly behind a nearby door to listen in on their conversation – he recognized the woman's voice as the voice that told him when he could leave the cubicle – the duelist waited silently to eavesdrop on the results of his examination._

"Well, what's that then?" Bertram asked, pointing at something on a transparent film that was placed against a lighted screen, much like X-rays are. He scratched his chin with his other hand as the scientist responded.

"We aren't sure. It isn't normal, I can tell you that, but at present it doesn't seem harmful or dangerous. I think that if we keep an eye on it, we can get more information on what it might be or how it got there."

"I know how it got there, whatever it is. The Sorcerer of Serpents' attack must have had some negative side effect on Nick's body, causing that… that… whatever it is."

"We don't have proof of that, sir. It could just be a shadow, or a small clot of blood cells. It could be a lot of things, really. If it was caused by the Sorcerer of Serpents, there's a good chance that this Rebecca girl has also felt some negative effects." The female responded matter-of-factly, pacing around the room and hanging up other films like the one they had been examining.

"Well, that tablet that Professor Gardner discovered a few weeks back said—"

"I _know_ what it said, Headmaster, but we still don't have any evidentiary support that proves this growth's link to the Tarot Beasts."

"It isn't cancer, or a tumor, is it?" Bertram asked with a hint of worry in his thick British voice.

"No, we have ruled out any possibility of this growth being cancerous in nature; there is no abnormally rapid growth of cells in that area that would suggest a cancerous growth, and other tests have proven that no cancer-causing agents have been detected anywhere in the body."

Just as Bertram let out a sigh of relief, so did Nick; this, of course, got their attention and they stopped their conversation immediately. The teenager quickly tried to make it look as though he had heard nothing and had just entered the hallway. Mr. Philps seemed to believe him, be it an act or not.

"Ah, hello Nick! Miss Franco and I have just been going over the results of your examination."

"And? What did you find?" Nick asked, playing the part of the innocent schoolboy that knew absolutely nothing about what was going on.

"N-nothing! Nothing to be worried about at all! Miss Franco believes that it might be better if you stayed for a while longer so that she can keep an eye on you, and—"

"What?! Why? I can't stay here any longer! I have to go find Rebecca!" Nick countered, voice roaring suddenly. It sounded as though he had increased his tone by a few decibels at least all in the course of a second. Bertram motioned for him to calm down.

"I told you, we will handle that matter. We already have specialists calculating the location of Xel'Zerpi and Rebecca as we speak. You can go see them, if you like."

"You mean they're still here? You're not even out _looking for them? What good are calculations and hypotheses right now? They're just a waste of time!" He screamed, tears welling up in his eyes. The mere thought of leaving Rebecca in the hands of that reptilian beast for another moment was more than he could bear._

"I realize you're very overwhelmed by all this, Nick, but please calm down. You're not helping anyone by overreacting like this. I suggest you take a good, long rest; Miss Franco will show you to your room. Mark and… Alyssa, was it? Anyway, they're already there waiting for you." The headmaster told him, motioning with his hand. The female scientist nodded.

"Right this way, please…"

---------------------------------

That night, Nick stood staring out the window of his ground-floor room when Mark awoke. The sleepy boy stumbled over to his friend and put an arm on his shoulder, rubbing his eyes with the other hand.

"Can't sleep, eh?"

"No… it's not that. I'm not going to sleep tonight, Mark." Nick replied, a sense of determination filling his voice.

"What? What do you mean?"

"I'm getting out of here tonight. They want to keep me here longer, to "keep an eye on me". Meanwhile, they're doing nothing about Rebecca's kidnapper, and they expect me to believe that they've got everything under control. But I won't believe it, I won't! I'll find her and that snake bastard on my own if I have to." The boy answered, turning to look Mark right in the eyes, who simply chuckled.

"You can't do this alone, Nick. It's impossible."

"Well, I'm going t—"

"Which is exactly why I'm going with you." He laughed, patting Nick on the back. Nick looked stunned for a moment and a bit confused, but in the end he smiled.

"What the hell are you both so happy about?" A female voice giggled from behind them. Turning, they could see Alyssa standing there in the dark. She, too, had awoken to see them standing there chatting, and she wasn't one to be left out of things.

"Nick and I are leaving tonight. We're going to try and find that snake-man that took Rebecca and get her back." Mark explained, sitting down in a nearby chair.

"And I suppose you're just going to leave me behind, right?"

"Alyssa, it's dangerous, and—"

"I certainly won't stand for that! If you want to stop me from coming, you're going to have to wrap me in chains and hang me up on that flagpole out there. Otherwise I'll follow you wherever you plan on going. You haven't got a sensible brain between you; be thankful I've decided to come along!" She laughed, playfully patting Nick's shoulder. He smiled back, glad that they understood so well his position. "Besides, this school bores the hell out of me. I'd much rather go on a road trip!"

"Are we all ready to go then, my brave little trio?" Mark chuckled, standing up and placing his card deck in his pocket. The others did the same.

"Looks like it. I've got clothes and money… we'll just have to get food when we need it, I guess." Nick nodded, grabbing his backpack filled with the basic necessities he had taken to the Tare Invitational. He was told that he'd be staying for a few days, after all, so money and clothes were an absolute must. When Alyssa and Mark had gathered their things, Nick slid open the patio door and hopped out into the darkness.

"Well boys…" Alyssa smirked, looking out at the beautiful scenery. "Let the games begin."


	6. Chapter 5: The Escape

**Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Legacy of Tarot**

****

**Chapter 5: The Escape**

As they walked through the beautiful green plains to the west of Muto City, Nick seemed a lot more cheerful. One arm was around Mark's shoulder and the other was around Alyssa's as he hummed a merry tune. He knew that some grim events were most indefinitely ahead of him, but being away from that shady Bertram Philps character certainly took a load off of his mind. Every now and then, he kept thinking about that "shadow" that they found during the examination. He was relieved that it wasn't a tumor or cancer, but they certainly didn't seem thrilled or confident about its composure. Bertram even _lied_ about it when Nick asked what they had discovered. Something was definitely up. That, however, was priority #2: right now, they had to find Rebecca and that blasted snake-man at all costs. There was only one problem with their little plan… they had no idea which direction he had gone in!

"So… where exactly do we start, guys?" Mark asked a bit nervously, chuckling. His voice was uneasy as he looked around, suddenly realizing what a big world this was and how hard it would be to track down two people; or rather, one person and one reptile.

"Well, other than Bertram and his scientists, the only people that would possibly know anything about Xel'Zerpi's whereabouts would be in Tare, right?" Nick pondered, trying to formulate a plan. The fact that Tare was an island made things all the more difficult. It meant that Xel'Zerpi probably left the island, flew over the ocean, and went somewhere else. That would mean they'd need to catch a boat to Tare, then find out which way the snakeman went, and _then_ catch another boat or plane to that location. The odds weren't in their favour.

"Yeah, but getting to Tare again will be damn near impossible." Alyssa noted bluntly, putting her free hand on her hip.

"Well, we can't very well count on Bertram and his private jet to help us, can we?" Mark interjected with a light laugh to brighten up the dark situation.

"I wonder… what do you think he's doing right now?"

*  *  *  *

"Sir! We have a problem!" A professionally dressed man shouted as he burst into the Headmaster's lavishly decorated office. The older gentleman looked up from his work.

"What? What's the matter?"

"The finalist and his friends are gone! We looked everywhere, in the school, on the grounds, they're nowhere to be found!"

"What?" Bertram growled furiously, rising from his chair at a breakneck pace. "Where the hell could they have gotten without us knowing?"

"With all due respect, Mr. Philps, they had a ground-floor room. Chances are they left during the night when you suggested they stay longer than expected." The teacher-like man responded more calmly, closing the door behind him so as not to disturb those outside.

"But where would they have gone? They have no idea where Xel'Zerpi might be! He could be anywhere in the world! _I don't even know where he is!" Bertram flustered, his eyes frantically searching the room for an idea, a hint, a plan. Then it dawned on him. "Tare. They've headed west to get back to Tare. That's where they'd find the most information about Xel'Zerpi's whereabouts!"_

"They could be miles away by now, sir."

"A car is faster than foot. Ready my limo, Mr. Yates." The headmaster ordered as he moved over to the coat rack, slipping into his top-hat and cloak. A bit outdated a fashion, perhaps, but he liked its elegance and refined nature. Swiftly stepping out the door, Bertram prepared to catch his quarry.

*  *  *  *

"Wait, what's that?" Nick asked in a whisper a half-hour later. He stopped in his tracks and had perked up his ears as best he could, trying to hear more of the whirring sound that was closing in on them.

"Sounds like a car to me." Mark noted swiftly, not even bothering to really examine the sound at all.

"Well what the hell would a car be doing in a damn field? There isn't a bloody road for miles!" Alyssa fumed, crossing her arms as she turned towards the horizon. Within moments, a black speck began to grow larger and larger as it neared them. Incidentally, the sound grew louder and louder, raising the suspicion that the black speck was the car. It screeched to a halt as it pulled up beside them and one of the back windows rolled down.

"If I might ask, what are you all doing out here? It's dangerous!" Bertram inquired, only his head showing in the blackness of the limo. "Did you not hear me? I asked you to stay with us for a while longer!"

"Shut'cho mouth!" Alyssa barked, leaning over to glare directly into his eyes. Oh, that menacing glare. Bertram slid one seat over to get out of her fiery gaze as best as possible. "We don't have time to waste lounging around your boring old university. We have to find Rebecca and that snake, now!"

"And where would you go, hm? Who would you ask? Who would you trust to tell you the truth about where he went?" Bertram chuckled, which only irritated Alyssa even more. A slight growl from her shut him up instantly. "You're asking for a flying snake-man carrying a damsel in distress. Think about it: most people would sooner send you to an Asylum than tell you where to find him."

"It's better than what _you_ were planning on 'doing'! Standing around and 'caculating' their position! You just wanted to cover your back. You don't plan on doing a damn thing!" Nick snarled, glowering at the british man in the comfy limousine.

"That's not true at all! We are very concerned for Rebecca's well being!" Bertram retorted, sliding back so that he could see Nick more clearly. "But we are also concerned for _your_ well-being! It's dangerous and foolish to be wandering around out here with no idea where to go! And how do you expect to eat, hm? Forage through the bushes for berries and bugs?"

"We _have_ money." Alyssa told him, a bit angered. "How dare you even _think we'd be so stupid as to come unprepared."_

"And how long will it last you? A few weeks, tops? Unless you plan on winning some tournament with a grossly large sum of money for the grand prize, I suggest you accept my help."

"Maybe we will enter a tournament." Nick replied, crossing his arms and turning away from the vehicle. "Whatever we do, we aren't going back to that damned school! You just want to study me like a lab rat and figure out what's wrong with me."

"What's… wrong with you? But we never found anything wrong with you!" Bertram remarked nervously, shifting his eyes suspiciously. Nick simply sighed, deciding to play along with his game for now.

"Whatever. We're still not going back to the school." Nick's resolve was rock-hard and he was determined not to return there under any circumstances. They probably had a whole team of scientists waiting to launch tranquilizers to high heaven so he wouldn't escape again.

"But you—"

"**_NO!_**" The decision was confirmed by all three members of the party. None of them intended to return to Muto City University, if they even returned to Muto City at all. Bertram shifted his weight uncomfortably as he thought, stroking his bald chin generously.

"Alright, fine. We can play it your way. If you want to take a course of action against Xel'Zerpi, do so; I will do everything I can to help. Camp here for a while and await my return. I should only be an hour or two."

"Why should we trust you? You'll probably just bring a bunch of bodyguards to hogtie us and drag us back to the University against our will." Mark uttered in an annoyed tone.

"I assure you I shall do nothing of the sort! I will simply bring us money for a boat to Tare, and then for a plane to wherever we are expected to go. I tell you verily, I do not think this is the correct course of action… but since you are about as stubborn as three drunken mules, I have little choice." With that, Bertram rolled up his window and ordered his chauffeur to double-time it back to Muto City. The wheels screeched against the dewy ground as the car whirled around and darted back east. Alyssa simply sighed and crossed her arms, annoyed.

"…I hate that bastard."

*  *  *  *

Two hours later, just as Bertram had predicted, the group heard a familiar whirring of an engine to the east and saw a black speck on the horizon. Yes, they had set up camp – much to the dismay of Alyssa, who didn't trust "that bastard headmaster weasel" one little bit – and were awaiting his return. They were slightly relieved as the car pulled up beside him and Bertram opened the door, revealing no one but himself, his walking cane, and his elegant if outdated uniform.

"What, no loaded guns? No tranquilizer darts? No swarm of hulkish 300 pound brutes with thick ropes?" Alyssa chuckled sarcastically, not even looking up at the old gentleman.

"I told you, I'm here to help. Now please, get in the car. We'll reach the port much faster that way."

Alyssa was the first to edge towards the car. She was ready to deck _someone's_ halls if they needed it, and certainly not with boughs of holly, as her head peered into the darkness. The girl had half expected to see a squadron of army men sitting right there with blowguns aimed at her forehead, but she found none. A suspicious, untrusting look was cast at Bertram as she slid into the car. Mark and Nick, relieved that Alyssa was so confident with the vehicle, packed up the few things they had set up and also climbed in. Bertram was the last and as he closed the door behind him, he simply knocked on the roof to let the driver know they were ready to continue. The car launched forward in search of a road, as the dewy grass was wreaking havoc on the limo's wheels.

"Alright, what's the catch?" Alyssa raised the question, sliding over beside Bertram and staring him down with a skeptical look that would spear a wild boar and stop a rampaging elephant in its tracks.

"I… beg your pardon?"

"Come on, out with it. Last night you were doing everything possible to keep us at the University. Now _you're_ paying to get us to Tare, and escorting us there in your limo." Her stare remained unwavering as the car leapt and bounced over the rocky road beneath it.

"Well, if you must know, I think it's kind of sad how you feel the need to run away without any sense of direction or food, and very little money, to search out this dangerous creature that you know nothing about." He chortled as he looked out the window at the scenery that was whipping by them at a breakneck pace.

"It's better than sitting around and doing nothing, like you." Nick muttered under his breath, crossing his arms and huffing impatiently. He seemed more like an annoyed gorilla than an 18-year old, and annoyed gorillas aren't the sort of beast you want to meet up with in a small, cramped limousine.

"Like I've told you, my scientists were doing their best to plot the most likely location of Xel'Zerpi before searching for him. It's a big world out there, and they are just two people."

"Yeah, if you can consider Xel'Zerpi a person." Mark chuckled, shaking his head. He was thrown forward off his seat, as was Nick, as the limo came to a rather abrupt stop. Alyssa began screaming an endless stream of obscenities when Bertram, completely unphased by the event, opened the door and climbed out.

"Here we are!" He announced proudly, leaning on his walking cane and looking forward at the port. The trip clambered out after him and as they made their way towards the docks (Bertram had so graciously found it in him to bring a map with him), the poor headmaster was bombarded with a flurry of questions.

"What do we do with this Xel'Zerpi guy when we find him, eh? I mean, if he's "immortal" like you said he was," Alyssa snorted in disbelief, "then we can't kill him, right?"

"Not while he has the card, no." Bertram advised her as he strolled forward at a brisk pace. "And trust me, you won't pry that card from his hands, cold and dead or not."

"Well, what the hell do we do, then? If we can't take the card from him, and we can't kill him, how do we get Rebecca back?" Alyssa fumed, doubling her speed to keep up with Mr. Philps, who simply laughed heartily. His cane clacked along the cobblestone pathway as they walked.

"You decided to go along on this little three-man voyage. You tell me!"

*  *  *  *

A few hours later, after a somewhat troublesome delay with the attendant loading the baggage (apparently, Alyssa's make-up containers looked much too suspicious to be let on. She wanted to knock them all out for being morons, but Nick suggested she just let them take a look at the stuff), the group was sitting in their cabin on the boat headed for Tare. It was only about a 6 or 7 hour ride, but that was long enough to bore the hell out of Alyssa. So, in keeping with her inquisitive nature, she continued nailing Bertram down with questions. At this point, her goal was only to see just how ticked off she could make the man before he exploded.

"Alright, Philps, tell me something. You said yourself that people would sooner send us to the looney bin than tell us about a flying snake man carrying a damsel in distress. How, then, do you propose we find out information about this Xel'Zerpi freak?"

"That, my dear girl, is easier said than done. I'm sure that our brave leader has some idea of what to do, does he not?"

Nick looked up from his magazine, "Duelists Monthly", trying to play back everything they had just said. When he finally realized what they were asking him, he looked back into the magazine for a moment and flipped back a couple of pages. Sliding the open book onto the table, the boy pointed out an advertisement which Bertram quickly skimmed through.

"Let's see now… 'We invite you to the anniversary of mayor Muto and his wife Jessica at Old City Hall.'" The old gentleman began, shifting his eyes upward to look at Nick suspiciously. The boy motioned for him to continue, and he did. "Hmm… 'There will be gifts for all, and the mayor will even offer a duel to one lucky duelist who may take home a prize of… $1,000?' Aha… I knew there had to be an ulterior motive."

"I figured we could ask a few of the people there if they'd seen what happened – it's probably all over the news, after all – and make a little money on the side." Nick reasoned. His finger trailed over to something else on the page. Alyssa looked at it and nearly choked.

"There's a dress code? You mean I have to wear a dress and everything?" She snarled, not at all pleased with the idea. Alyssa could indeed be classified a tomboy on the outside, and these sorts of formal functions were not exactly her cup of tea. "I won't do it. Besides, we can't afford fancy clothes like that."

"You leave the dress code to me. Nick's idea, dare I utter the words, is a good one. If anyone will know something about Xel'Zerpi, it will be Mayor Muto and the dignitaries at the ball. You won't find them giving you falsified information, and I do believe I might be able to schedule a private talk with the mayor, as well. We are rather well acquainted, if I do say so myself."

"So it's agreed, then?" Mark asked with a slight smile on his face. He was always an up-and-comer, and going to a ball with the intent of meeting the mayor was a grand idea in his mind. Alyssa simply sighed, snatching the advertisement for herself. Shaking her head and closing her eyes, the young maiden simply chuckled. She slapped the magazine back on the table and stood up, moving over to her bed.

"I won't like it, but… we're off to the ball!"


	7. Chapter 6: The Duel

**Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Legacy of Tarot**

****

**Chapter 6: The Ruling One**

Fast-forward 3 days, to the night of the dress ball. Like clockwork, Nick, Mark, Alyssa, and Bertram arrived, decked in their fanciest attire—all provided by Mr. Bertram and his large wealth of cash, naturally. They were greeted, much to their surprise, by a gargantuan ball room with a dome-shaped skylight in the center and chandeliers hanging from above, everywhere. The walls were beautifully decorated with paintings and garland, while roses could be found in vases all over the ballroom. Not a single person in the room looked out of place—shimmering ball gowns, snappy tuxedos, and dazzling jewelry were abound. To be quite frank, it was almost as though one was walking into the center of a magical fairy tale, filled with dancing princesses and princes, chatting and chuckling politely, and having a jolly good time. And, indeed, everyone was—the room was filled with talking and laughter, not enough to disrupt one's train of thought, and certainly not comparable to that of a rock concert, but it is clear that those present are having a good time.

"It doesn't appear that the mayor has arrived yet," Bertram noted in his thick British accent, one eye peering through his monocle and the other, unaided. His hands, covered in white gloves, held tightly a beautiful walking stick decked with diamonds and other assorted jewels and made of the finest ebony. It looked like it must have been worth an absolute fortune—hundreds of thousands, if not hundreds of millions—and even the group began to wonder just how he could afford such a thing.

"Thank you, Captain Obviou—" Alyssa began, quickly cut off by a hushing motion from Nick. He simply shook his head as if imploring her to behave nicely towards Bertram, if only for this one night. A sigh escaping from her form, she nodded reluctantly and moved into the room.

"So I guess we just wait for him to show up, then. Any ideas?" Mark began. Alas, there were no ideas to be had before an announcement was made. All heads in the room, as splendidly dressed as they were, turned to gaze at the figures standing at the top of the grand twin staircase. Mayor Muto and his wife, apparently, dressed in clothes finer even than any single person present, if that were even thinkable. The mayor made a friendly wave with his hand and began stepping down the stairs, his wife's arm interlocked with his.

"Good evening! I—we—thank you all for coming. Young, old, friends, foes, we thank you. I trust that, of course, some of you aspiring duelists are here to duel me for the grand prize of $1,000…"

This was accompanied, quite naturally, by a loud cheer from the apparent duelists in the crowd, and Nick was no different. The mayor merely chuckled, drawing a deck of cards from a holster about his waist. Shuffling it idly in his hands as he surveyed the crowd, the mayor randomly set his eyes on the anticipating face of Nick.

"You there!" He spoke, extending a finger towards Nick, who immediately grinned from ear to ear. "You seem awfully excited to be here. Would you like to duel me?"

Nick didn't even need to speak; he immediately kicked forward and darted through the crowd, pushing people aside as he went (incurring the odd "What a rude little child!"), until he arrived in front of the mayor. Seemingly impressed by the young lad's enthusiasm, Mayor Muto patted him on the shoulder and began leading him down the stairs. A few waves of his hands cleared out a large area on the floor, to the side of which Nick was lead. In an astonishing mash of gears and flurry of sound, the floor opened its gaping maw and out crept a dueling arena! Even Nick was surprised; he had figured that dueling was the Mayor's hobby, not his life!

"Nothing special; just a little arena I had built a few years back. I really do love dueling, you see, and I had this made to accommodate any duels that I might hold. Does it suit your tastes, lad?" He asked before moving a muscle. Nick merely nodded, merrily, at the question. "Very well. Make your way to the podium. What is your name?"

"Nick, sir!" He replied, practically running over to his stand. The thought of $1,000 was too much to ignore, and he was anxious to get this underway.

"Very well, Nick! Let's begin!"

*  *  *  *

After a little preparation, everything was underway for the battle to begin. Both players had set down their decks, and they had each drawn 5 cards. Their podiums flashed with the numbers "8000," signifying their life points—this was not to last, for they would soon be whittled away by the vigour of the duel. A coin flip had decided that the Mayor would go first. He did so.

"It's time to get this battle under way, my worthy opponent!" He announced. Somehow, by some virtue, he sounded much more authoritative and confident, as though he had already brought this duel under his thumb and there was no way he was going to lose. "I'll place two cards face down, and I'll play this card: my loyal Commander Knight, in Defense mode!"

The creature appeared, sword drawn, in defense mode – with 1900 defense points, it was easily more powerful, defensively, than anything Nick could pull out on his first turn…. or was it? There was one way, depending on the luck of his draw, that Nick could pull out a monster in one turn to destroy the Commander Knight, and he knew it. _"I've got to get rid of that Commanding Knight, and fast… because once the mayor plays another monster, I'll have to attack it, and not the Knight! But the only monster I'd be able to play in one turn with enough strength is the Harpie Lady Sisters, and I don't have the right cards!" Looking up, Nick could see a confident grin on the mayor's face. He was clearly an accomplished duelist, and he didn't exactly get filled with creeping dread at the sight of Nick. What he didn't realize, however, was that Nick was just as accomplished._

"I'll play Gemini Elf in attack mode, and I'll place these two cards face down. With that, I end my turn."

"Very well. But I'm afraid I'm going to have to put a sever hamper in your plans by playing another Commander Knight in defense mode!" After a little thought, the effect of this was rather apparent: "As long as these two cards are the only ones on the field, your monsters have nothing to target: the Commanding Knights protect each other, and my life points! And that's not all! Because of their effects, they boost each other's attack scores by 400 points!"

It didn't take a scientist to figure out what this meant. Without the proper Magic or Trap card, Nick would have to wait for an opportunity to come at him in order to destroy the Commander Knights. However, the mayor's strategy had one flaw that might work to Nick's advantage: neither Commander Knight could attack, or they would be easily defeated by Gemini Elf. That would open up the other Knight to attack, and thus leave the Mayor's life points wide open. However, as long as the two cards made each other immune to attacks, the Mayor had all the time in the world to summon a more powerful monster. But without the necessary cards, all Nick had as an option was to build up his own defenses until another opportunity presented itself.

"I'll play this monster card face down in Defense mode, as well as another card face down." Nick announced assertively, the cards appearing in all their holographic glory on the field before them. The Mayor merely smirked and drew a card. His face lit up.

"Just what I needed. You know, Nick, I thought you were a more accomplished duelist than this—you're going to have to shape up or ship out if you want to best me in a duel!" The mayor boasted, waving a card around in his hand. "This ought to be enough to take down your pitiful Gemini Elf. I'll sacrifice my two Commander Knights; their respectful tributes will allow me to call down the exceedingly more powerful Wingweaver!" A flash of light quickly spread throughout the field, and upon its dissipation, the two Commander Knights were nowhere to be found; in their place, an angel of virtue hovers in the air, staring down the comparatively minuscule Gemini Elf without showing a drop of fear. And for good reason – with an attack of 2750, it was almost twice as powerful as Gemini Elf. "And now, my Wingweaver, use Roaring Trumpet on his Gemini Elf!"

"I can't let you do that, Mayor Muto!" Nick smirked, flipping one of his face down cards. "This is my lovely Claymore Mine; when activated, it destroys one monster on your field with the highest attack. Since Wingweaver is the only creature you have in play, she's about to meet a rather untimely demise." And, indeed, she was: before the Wingweaver's holy trumpet could be so much as lifted to her lips, a violent explosion erupted around her, blowing her, quite literally, to dust. Wingweaver wasn't the only thing missing; the mayor's confident expression was also well misplaced. "And I believe that makes it my turn." His hand slid confidently over his deck and drew a card, as was customary on every player's turn, and he grinned. "I'll play this card, face down in defense mode. Now, Gemini Elf, attack the mayor's life points!"

"Not so fast: I'm going to stop your Elf dead in her tracks with this card! Hexagram Curse!" Flipping the card face up on his playing field, the twin elves were immediately plagued by moaning, haunting spirits of the dead. Frozen with fear, their attack was blocked and they returned to their original position. "Hexagram Curse will prevent your monster from attacking or changing position for as long as it is face up on the field; as a Continuous Trap, your Gemini Elf might be immobile for a good while."

A little disappointed but seemingly not entirely phased by the move, Nick merely motioned with a wave of his hand, signaling for the mayor to make his move. And the man didn't need any more prompting; he was good at this, and he knew exactly what he had to do now that it was his turn. Drawing a card, he grinned.

"This little combo ought to be enough to take a good chunk out of your Life points! First, I'll play Hayabusa Knight in attack mode!"

Even though Nick was well aware that Hayabusa Knight was weaker than Gemini Elf, and by 900 points at that; however, he wasn't about to make any assumptions about the mayor's dueling skills. And, of course, he was right.

"And I'll activate my Axe of Despair, increasing Hayabusa Knight's attack by 1000 points! Considering the fact that Hayabusa Knight can attack twice per turn, I think I can get rid of both your cards! Hayabusa Knight, destroy Nick's Gemini Elf and his face down card!"

Leaping into action, the creature's blade strikes twice, once into the slender bellies of the Gemini Elf, and once into the face-down card on Nick's side of the field. This merely prompted a grin from Nick's face, even though his life points quickly dropped from 8000 to 7900.

"Thank you for activating my monster card, Witch of the Black Forest! This allows me to summon one monster from my deck, provided it has a defense of 1500 or less – perfect for bringing out my Harpie Lady!" He announced happily, drawing the card from his deck and promptly shuffling it between his hands.

"Make your turn, then, worthy opponent."

"Why, thank you! First I'll play my Harpie Lady in attack mode, and I'll place Elegant Egotist on the field! This will allow me to special summon a Harpie Lady sisters from my deck, which I'll do now." With four harpies on the field, Nick's side was looking quite formidable.

"It's still not strong enough to defeat my Hayabusa Knight!"

"No, it isn't. Not yet, that is. I'll activate my face-down magic card, Rising Air Current!" Flipping the card so that its painted face would be visible to all, a fierce current of wind rose up over the field. The mayor's Hayabusa Knight struggled to keep its ground in the midst of the violent current of air, but Nick's two cards merely rose into the sky to greet it, increasing their attack points by 500 each; the decrease of 400 to their defense was the down side, but since neither was in defense mode, it would prove to be little trouble if Nick played his cards right (no pun intended). "I think that means my Harpie Lady Sisters are capable of taking out your Hayabusa Knight—in fact, they'll do so now!" Already sky-high, it was light work for the Harpie Lady sisters to dive, one after the other, talons first, into the weaker knight before them. As their claws sank into his flesh, the Hayabusa let out a cry of defeat before vanishing, taking the Axe of Despair with it. "And without any trap cards to protect your Life Points… Harpie Lady, attack the mayor's life points directly!"

Little more explanation is needed; following in its sisters' footsteps (pardon the pun once more), the Harpie Lady was able to quickly reduce Mayor Muto's life points to 6200. Muto grumbled dejectedly, but quickly regained his composure.

"I've been in more dire straits than this, Nick, and I'm not about to let you overtake me this time. In fact, I hold in my hand the cards that may just bring you down here and now! Prepare to meet your doom, Nick! This duel ends here!!"


	8. Chapter 7: The Ruling One

**Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Legacy of Tarot**

**Chapter 7: The Ruling One**

"You sure talk big for someone whose life points are a lot lower than mine are, Mayor Muto." Nick boasted, holding his hand of cards tightly and feeling only the deepest anxiety deep within him that the Mayor was telling the truth. Even though many have put down the Harpie Lady line, Nick has always seemed to make it work and pull it through the toughest of situations. Hopefully, if the Mayor isn't calling a bluff, he'll be able to do the same here.

"Ah, but that," replied the Mayor, "is the privilege of leadership, my dear boy: I get to talk as big and as brash as I like! And, for your information, I speak the truth. Behold! First, I'll play Giant Soldier of Stone in defense mode!" The lumbering beast of a creature, whose body was composed entirely of rocks and boulders, composed itself upon the dueling field, arms crossed over its body to signify a defense position.

"What, and that's it? Ooh, so it has more defense than my Harpie Lady Sister has attack; what good will that do?"

"Quite a bit, my friend. Watch as I play this magic card, Conscription!" The mayor announced and, sensing a confused look from Nick's direction, explained the card. "This Continuous Magic card allows me to summon as many monsters onto the field as I like during my turn, at the cost of 500 life points per extra monster. And, thanks to its magical effects, I will now be able to sacrifice Giant Soldier of Stone in order to play the card that will bring about your doom… The Ruling One!"

The mention of this card didn't strike Nick as much as it did a certain Bertram Philps, whose eyes immediately widened as he scampered towards the dueling field to get a closer look. Could the mayor really be in possession of one of the Tarot Cards? His fears were confirmed all too soon as the green-robed, kingly figure of The Ruling One arrived on the field. Wielding the mythical Scepter of Punishment, the sovereign creature gazed upon Nick's cards with arrogance in its eyes.  
On Nick's viewing screen, located on his podium, it should be noted that his opponent's side of the field was visible, and as The Ruling One was played, something about the card's design immediately struck Nick as familiar—it was the same as the Sorcerer of Serpents that was played in another of his battles, against Xel'Zerpi! The Ruling One was a Tarot card! And not only that, it both was easily powerful enough to destroy both Nick's monsters, and had an effect that would redirect those attack points in order to damage his life points!

"Now, Ruling One, destroy his Harpie Lady Sisters with your Crude Judgement!" came his order, swift and clear. The card moved in for the attack, swinging its scepter violently in its right hand at each of the harpies that made up the Harpie Lady Sisters. Just before it was able to make contact, however, a group of priests dressed in blue apparated on the field, deflecting the blows. "What?!"

"Meet Waboku; this card reduces all damage done by your monster to zero during the turn that it's played. It should prove enough to hold you off until I can defeat your Ruling One—and I will, you can be sure of it." Nick swanked confidently. The mayor merely laughed.

"We shall see. Make your move."

Nick slipped his hand over the card deck and drew a card, bringing his hand size to 2. The mayor had, at present, no cards left in his hand; however, his monster would easily give him time enough to restore it to full.

"I'll place this card face down, turn my monsters to defense mode, and end my turn." His thick voice announced with every drop of poise he could muster. It only served to fuel the mayor's confidence in turn.

"What, is that all you've got?" The mayor bragged, "I thought you were a world-class duelist, Nick. It appears I was mistaken."

"We'll see; make your move!"

"Very well. I choose not to play any cards this turn. Ruling One, attack Nick's Harpie Lady Sisters yet again!"

"Not so fast," began Nick, flipping a card face up. It was unfamiliar to Mayor Muto, and Nick could tell. "This is a rare and powerful trap card called the Bonds of Sisterhood; it allows me to special summon all Harpie Lady Sister cards from my deck in Face-up attack position when a Harpie Lady or Harpie Lady Sisters is attacked during your turn. All the Harpie Lady Sisters on the field then attack the threat as one. And that's not all: during my next turn, all the Harpie Lady Sisters attack as one monster."

A look of dread immediately came over the mayor's face as two more Harpie Lady Sisters appeared on the field. He knew that this meant his doom; with no trap cards to prevent this, he was completely at the mercy of Bonds of Sisterhood. And furthermore, The Ruling One's effect could not be activated because it was not his opponent's battle phase! The three Harpie Lady Sisters, 9 bird-women in total, surrounded and clawed at the immensely powerful Ruling One; and yet, comparatively, it was as an ant to the might of 9 hungry robins, each willing and ready to destroy and discard it. For a combined total of 5850 damage, the all-might Tarot Card had been reduced to pieces and was immediately obliterated. The only card in his hand, a mere Hayabusa Knight, was not going to help him here. He was finished and he knew it.

"If that's the end of your turn…" Nick began; the mayor nodded solemnly. "Very well. Then I'll have my combined Harpie Lady Sisters finish your life points!"

The mayor nearly collapsed at the sight of his 5700 life points being reduced to 0 for the first time in his entire career. He had never been defeated, not even once; and now this little upstart was casting him aside like so much old food. One of the mayor's attendants walked up to him and began speaking.

"I'm sorry sir, but the rules of this gala—which you created yourself—state that the loser must hand his rarest card to the winner. That means your Ruling One now belongs to Nick."

Now, the mayor may have been in shock and dismay at his sudden defeat, but he certainly wasn't a bad sport. Putting the remnants of a grin on his battered old face, he lowered the podiums, moved towards Nick, and handed him The Ruling One, along with a firm handshake.

"You're the first person to ever defeat me, lad, and my Ruling One," he began, something of a tear in his eye. "I hope you'll treat it well."

Nick thought for a moment, smiled, and nodded, "I will!"

Clapping erupting from the backdrop, both duelists retreated to the VIP lounge for some much needed rest.

*  *  *  *

"You're kidding us, right Bertram?" Alyssa fumed as Nick held his new card in his hand. She was in utter disbelief at what the old goofball was telling her.

"No, Alyssa—the Ruling One is a Tarot Card. Don't you recognize the make-up of the card itself, its design?" Bertram reasoned, taking the card into his hands and showing it to her. "And also, remember that I once told you that the Tarot cards' masters always take on the characteristics of their cards; do you not find it ironic that Mayor Muto is, in fact, a 'ruling one?'"

"Alright, so let's play along with the idea that it _is a Tarot Card, just for a minute," she bristled in disbelief, "What the hell do we do with it now?"_

"Nothing, yet. It isn't going to help us find Xel'Zerpi without examining it with the proper equipment, but it will ensure that whoever he's working for isn't going to get them all, not so long as Nick keeps it safe in his deck."

"I will," the champion laughed, taking the card back and adding it to the top of his deck, "you can be sure of that."

"Now all that needs doing is getting a hold of Mayor Muto and asking him what he knows of Xel'Zerpi's whereabouts." Mark threw in, leaning back on the VIP lounge sofa.

"He should be back any minute now," Bertram began. Within seconds, the doorknob began to turn and the familiar visage of Mayor Muto entered.

"Hello, friends! I hope you didn't get too bored waiting for me." He began with a chuckle. Alyssa merely snorted, mumbling something that he either didn't hear or chose to ignore.

"Please, dear friend, sit down," Bertram began, motioning towards a nearby chair positioned close to them. "We have a great many things to ask you…"

*  *  *  *

"Yes, I knew the Ruling One was a Tarot card. My wife, who always has been interested in the legendary topic, pointed that out to me. I didn't believe her at first, but after a time, it all made sense."

"Do you know much about them, then?" Mark asked curiously.

"Not as much as my wife, assuredly; Jessica," he began, turning his head towards his wife who was sitting off to one side, chatting with a few dignitaries. It was a large lounge, after all, and they were far enough away to be discluded from the conversation. "Would you mind telling them what they wish to know?"

"Of course, my love." His wife began to move towards them and took a seat on the mayor's lap, one arm strung around behind his neck as she crossed her legs. "What do you wish to know about these cards?"

"Well… do you know where they came from, by any chance?" Alyssa asked, showing a hell of a lot more compassion towards the mayor's wife than her husband.

"All I know is legend, but… from what I have read about these cards, they were created by a group of people—mediums, fortunetellers, the whole lot of them—who wanted an aide in foretelling the future—and in making a few extra dollars. These were the beginnings of the Tarot cards."

"But these mediums weren't magical or anything like that, were they?" asked Nick, once again taking the Ruling One in his hand.

"No," she replied, shaking her lovely head back and forth. "That is where their hidden accomplice comes into play. Known only to the legends as the Masked Conjurer, he helped the fortune tellers by infusing his magic into them. The tarot cards, you see, were not magical in and of themselves, and had no actual ability to tell the future—the Masked Conjurer said he was able to change all that. And, perhaps foolishly, the mediums agreed to his offer, although it was as though selling their souls."

"How so?"

"Well, as it turns out, the Masked Conjurer was simply the alter-ego of a world-renowned duelist. When he infused his magic into the cards, he did not do as the mediums bid him, but rather he turned them into Duel Monsters cards. Extremely powerful duel monsters cards. And worst of all, the mediums came immediately under the cards' spells, so they had no idea what had been pulled over their eyes. And they were the Tarot Warriors from then on, completely under the Masked Conjurer's enchantment. Some, like a snake man named Xel'Zerpi, are still rumoured to live today, completely attached to their cards in mind, body, and soul. Others, like my husband's grandfather, passed the cards down to family to keep their powers alive. Still others lost them in duels. Unfortunately, because of this, there is no way of knowing who now possesses a Tarot Card, because many of the old Tarot Warriors no longer exist and were immediately destroyed when their cards left their possession. But I suppose you can't really believe all the legends… magic, snakemen… it all sounds rather foolish, don't you think?"

"Not as foolish as you might think," Bertram began with a chuckle. "Xel'Zerpi is the man we're looking for. He has abducted one of Nick's friends and taken her away, claiming that the Tarot Cards are looking for new masters."

"Xel'Zerpi…? Yes, I remember now! He was on the news, wasn't he? He caused the explosion at that Duel Monsters tournament. Yes, I remember that well."

"Do you have any idea where he might be, then?"

"Well, I can't be sure, but… according to the old legends, the Tarot Warriors often met in a place called Tarotenam. It doesn't exist any more, of course, but if I were to make a guess, I would say that its ruins might still remain just east of a city called York. I believe you can catch a flight to York from the airport here in Tare."

Without wasting a moment of time, the four members of the group stood up and thanked Mrs. Muto graciously for all her help. But one thing was on their minds: they had to get to this York and find the ruins of Tarotenam as quickly as possible. With the grand prize in hand and after thanking the mayor for his help, the group headed towards the Tare Airport.

The next chapter of their adventure was to begin.


	9. Chapter 8: The Secret

**Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Legacy of Tarot**

**Chapter 8: The Secret**

The place? A private airplane headed from Muto city to the town of York. The time? 2 hours after Nick's duel with mayor Muto. Alyssa and Mark dueled in their respective seats; Nick couldn't make out who was winning or losing, nor did he really care at the moment. Too much was on his mind as Bertram slept peacefully beside him. The inflight movie played on endlessly, soundlessly, without earphones on his ears; it was just a bunch of moving pictures in the foreground. York. Why did that name sound so familiar to him? Of course, it was the location of the IDMC headquarters, but there was something else about the name that struck him as frighteningly memorable. Something from his past that he couldn't quite recall.

"Nick?" Bertram asked, awakening from his slumber and seeing his companion deep in worried thought. "What's wrong?"

The younger duelist turned to the older British man and, after a few moments of blank staring, he smiled. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking about… well, everything."

"I know how that feels," Bertram laughed, provoking a few hushes and shouts from the passengers around him who were trying to watch the movie. He slunk back into his seat to avoid their unhappy glares. Alyssa burst out in fury off to one side, screaming something about Mark being a cheater. Nick and Bertram paid little attention. "It's not an easy thing, having such frightful weight on your shoulders as you have. I can only imagine what you must be going through."

"But…" Nick began, cutting himself off for a moment as he probed his mind further, "It's more than just Xel'Zerpi, or Rebecca, or the Tarot beasts… it's something about the city, York, itself. The name just rings a bell in my mind for a reason that I can't explain."

"Oh, and even worse feeling!" Mr. Philps exclaimed, once again irritating the passengers around him who were still trying to watch the movie. He muttered something about turning up the volume if they couldn't hear the film before turning back to Nick. "It might be nothing, you know. Sometimes the name just sounds familiar because you've read it in a book, or something like that."

Nick shook his head a few times, slowly at first and then quickly as though gaining reassurance, "No, it's not that. I feel as though… I don't know, like a part of me is drawing me towards this York. Almost like… something terribly important is waiting for me there. And it's not the Tarot cards, or Tarotenam… something else."

Bertram nodded solemnly, opting to leave the boy with his thoughts for now. It would probably be of no use to try and probe any further; silent thought and meditation would eventually solve the puzzle that no mortal could force a solution to. Bertram only hoped that this little quest for an answer wouldn't divert Nick from his mission; heavens only know how many Tarot cards have already been gathered together, and what the unnamed enemy plans to do with them. There was not much time left.

*  *  *  *

"They are coming, master," A cloaked figure speaks into the darkness. Strangely, a voice replies, deep and solemn in its words, cruel and menacing in its tone.

"The holder of the Ruling One?"

"Yes, master," the subservient voice confirms assuredly, nodding his head once as a physical confirmation. "One Nick Maximus, accompanied by 3 companions."

"Who?" The master inquired, stepping out of the shadows. He was sheathed in shadow from head to toe, and little more than his silhouette could be made out among the enveloping darkness.

"We do not know who they are, but they are not believed to be of much consequence."

"Very well. Keep your sights locked on him, and tell me when he arrives in York," The master orders, returning to his hidden seat and hiding himself once more from complete view. "I want to know his _every_ move."

*  *  *  *

"Wake up, Nick, wake up!" A female voice called out, arousing the boy from his deep slumber. Nick must have fallen asleep in his thoughts as they surrounded and filled his mind, strangling his every thought until only sleep could release him. "We're here!"

"Wha…? Alyssa?"

"Yeah! Wake up already! Everyone else on the plane has gotten off already! Why is it that you're always the last?" She laughed a bit, pulling him from his seat. "Mark already got the luggage, with Bertram's help. _I_ got stuck babysitting you."

It didn't take much more provocation to get Nick to stand up and get his things. Still in a semi-drowsed state, he followed Alyssa along the narrow airplane aisle and towards the door, where a stewardess was waiting to show them off.

"I hope you enjoyed the fli—"

"Yeah yeah, I've heard it before, lady." Alyssa snorted; she was apparently very cranky from the cramped flight. Either that, or she was acting perfectly normal. Nick couldn't tell; who ever _can_?

When Nick and Alyssa had disembarked and boarded the shuttle bus that would take them from the plane to the airport, they were greeting by a rather unfriendly chorus of snarls and growls from the passengers who had been waiting for nearly 15 minutes to get moving. Nick, in his drowsy state, didn't care; Alyssa, in her usual fury, flipped the bird at a few of them and cursed out the others. As impractical as it might have been, she was able to shut them all up and let the driver get moving.

"Jesus, can you sleep or what?" The girl laughed, patting Nick on the shoulder. One of the nearby passengers started grumbling, but when met with that menacing glare, he stopped.

"Yeah… it's one of my fatal flaws." Nick chuckled, rubbing his head full of bed-hair. "I've got a splitting head-ache."

"No kidding!" Alyssa flatly pointed out, shaking her head as she held onto one of the handrails. "You think those seats are comfortable?"

"No, it's not that… I've just… been doing a lot of thinking while they were on that plane," Nick pointed out, shaking his head at her comment. He returned to a solemn attitude once more, looking forlornly out the window at the city dotting the horizon. "And three hours of straight thinking gives one a bad headache."

"Thinking?" Alyssa inquired, motioning for Nick to slide over so that she could sit down, "About what?"

"Well, I don't know. It just feels like there's someone in York that I should be seeing, almost like I've known them for a really long time and that I haven't seen them in just as long, but…" He shook his head. "I can't remember who!"

Immediately, something came to mind in Alyssa's head. She had known Nick for a really long time, and knew some of his deeper, darker secrets that he didn't tell anyone; some of the ones, even, that he drove out of his own mind to get rid of the memories. And this one seemed startlingly familiar to her, but she chose not to say anything, because she decided that, perhaps, this would be something better left to himself. After a few moments of silence, and one of the more gentle looks Alyssa had shown during their whole adventure, the bus screeched to a halt at the airport.

"Come on," she said softly, coaxing him to his feet and putting an arm around his shoulder. "We're here. Bertram and Mark are waiting inside."

As they got off the bus and entered the airport, Mark and Alyssa were greeted by the somewhat impatient faces of Mark and Bertram, who were struggling with the huge bags of luggage that they (or, more specifically, Bertram) had brought with them. The two explained that their hotel bus was waiting for them, impatiently at that, and that the driver had threatened to leave without them if they didn't arrive double-quick. Without delay, Alyssa and Nick quickly rushed behind the other two and boarded the bus just in time.

It wasn't long before they had checked into York Hotel, the fanciest establishment in all of the city. As the virtual capital of the Duel Monsters world, even a place as well-dressed as the York Hotel was a duel central. The lobby was positively filled with duelists from just about every region of the world, and not a single one of them was just trading or examining his deck. No, each and every one was locked in a duel with another, almost as though they were practicing for something.

"What the heck is this?" Alyssa asked, staring blankly at her surroundings. "It's like the village of the damned or something."

"I think the biennial IDMC Cup is being held soon here in York," Mark noted, nodding his head as he looked around at the innumerably duelists. "Yeah, they hold it once in the fall and once in the spring, and I think this is about time for it to be starting."

"Oh, I've heard of the IDMC Cup!" Nick announced, enlightened. He was a faithful subscriber to Duelists Monthly along with a slew of other duel monsters magazines, and the IDMC was frequently posting announcements in them. "That's one of the most prestigious tournaments in the entire sport of Duel Monsters!"

"Yep, it's hosted by the head of the IDMC herself… I can't remember her name. But she's apparently really good, and really rich. In terms of the sport of Duel Monsters, she's also the most knowledgeable person around… of course, I guess that's a given, since she runs the whole thing."

"What I'd give to be her…" Alyssa's eyes lit up as she spoke. She was, herself, a rather accomplished duelist, and she vividly loved the sport.

"Well, you'll be meeting her soon enough!" Bertram cut in with a chuckle, examining the lobby for a last time as they stepped into the elevator. He was immediately met by looks of surprise from the three members of their little troupe. "Well don't act so surprised. We need to know more about this Tarotenam that Mrs. Muto told us about. And I figure that if anyone can tell us more about it, it's the head of the IDMC."

"Alright, you fogey, tell me this:" Alyssa snorted as the elevator began its ascent. "How are _we supposed to meet with someone as amazingly prestigious as _her_?"_

"Well, that's simple enough. The preliminary rounds of the tournament are being held today, right? All the winners are going to speak with her at a conference—"

"Does it look like Nick, or for that matter, any of us are registered in this tournament?" Alyssa bluntly pointed out. The elevator dinged as they reached the designated floor, and the group exited.

"I pulled some strings, and you all automatically advance to the next round. It would have been easier to just get you all a private conference with her, but she simply insisted that you all participate." Bertram laughed, shaking his head. "In any case, you'll have to be there in two hours. I trust you can make it."

The proposal was met by an uprising of unhappy groans as Bertram retired to his room, chuckling. Left with only 2 hours to prepare their decks and get to the tournament, the tired, cranky duelists began their long, hard preparations.

*  *  *  *

Fast forward 2 hours, to the location of the tournament. The arena, which was actually a rather large section of the city of York, was positively filled with duelists of every kind, decks in hand, shuffling through their cards. It was practically impossible to hear your own thoughts over the screeching and bantering of the busy crowd, all waiting for the preliminary announcement to be made so that Round 1 could begin. Though Nick, Mark, and Alyssa were a little anxious to duel—they would not be competing until Round 2, after all—they were, on the whole, very happy to be there.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting such a turnout," Nick beamed as he sat on stage, looking at the duelists below him. "I mean, I knew the IDMCC is world-famous, but… wow!"

"Yeah, no kidding. Looks like we'll be up against some fierce competition," laughed Alyssa. She was met be a simple nod and laugh from Nick and Mark. "Oh, look! I think that announcer type guy is gonna start the tournament officially!"

And, indeed, a very classy-looking man stepped onto the stage as Alyssa mentioned his presence, and was greeted by a hearty round of applause.

"Heeeeeeeeeeello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Spring International Duel Monsters Committee Cup!" the announcer boomed through the microphone, followed by a howl of applause. "Please put your hands together for our special guest! She's a classy lady; she's a great duelist; she's a real heartthrob! Please welcome the head of the IDMC, Mai Valentine!"

Nick's heart immediately stopped as these words were spoken.

**_"MOM?!"_**


	10. Chapter 9: Halis and Silah

**Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Legacy of Tarot**

**Chapter 9: Halis and Silah**

In the last chapter, a rather shocking turn of events occurred: it was discovered that Miss Mai Valentine, the CEO of the International Duel Monsters Committee and founder of the IDMC Biennial Cup, was actually our hero, Nick Maximus' mother! The story now takes us to the VIP lounge after her preliminary announcement to begin the tournament…

*  *  *  *

"M…mom?!" Nick stammered for what must have been the thirtieth time since he saw her. A part of him wanted to reach out and hug her; another, to push her away, just as she abandoned him those many years ago.

"Yes, that's me," Mai smiled, tilting her head to the side. "It's good to see you, Nick."

"I wish I could say the same for you!" Nick growled, standing up from his seat and staring her directly in the eye. His were filled with fire and anger; hers, with confusion. She had no idea what he was talking about. "Why the hell did you just abandon me?" He never was the kind of person to just beat around the bush. 'Get right to the point,' that's his motto.

"What?!" Alyssa broiled, standing up beside him. Nick was generally a timid person, so you can imagine that if his eyes were filled with fire, Alyssa's were thrice that. "What the hell is he talking about? You abandoned him? That's why he never talked about his mother! I knew I never liked you! Why I oughtta—"

Mai immediately rose from her seat and slammed her fist on the table; it seemed as though the entire room shook. "**Sit down and let me explain, BOTH OF YOU!"**

It was a frightening moment, to say the least; even Alyssa's fiery temper seemed dowsed by Mai's retort, and she immediately slunk back into her seat alongside Nick. The fervour of the woman's youth, a period of time not known to most of those present, is relived in her temper. "I didn't _abandon_ anyone! Believe me, you don't want to know what happened. It's better that you don't."

Nick rose, shaking his head: "No, it isn't. I have to know. I've gone on all these years thinking that you had abandoned me. Grandma and grandpa told me you were dead!"

"Dead?" Mai laughed for a second, quickly returning to her composed, elegant state. "No one and nothing kills Mai Valentine."

"Alright," Mark began, still sitting in his seat. He had been remaining silent and composed through all this, unlike his female counterparts. "If you're Nick's mom, then how come you two have different last names?" Hey, it wasn't a particularly important question, but it would at least break the ice. Mai sat down and crossed one leg over the other, running a hand through her long blonde hair as she began.

"Maximus was the last name of Nick's father; my maiden name is Valentine," she explained. Mark opened his mouth to continue, but she cut him off instead. "Before you ask, no, I didn't retain my maiden name when I got married. I was, for a time, Mai Maximus, though I still don't think it really fit all that well."

"Mom…" Nick started, sounding a little irritated. She did have a way of going off on a tangent on some things when an opportunity presented itself, and no one really knew why.

"Nick, you have to remember that your father was, at times… well, let's just say he was a beggar for the bottle," she continued, sighing a bit. Nick thought for a moment and, in the end, nodded his head. The last time he saw his father was at least 7 years ago, but he did remember his rather intoxicated attitude on most nights. "Well, things got a little worse than the usual 'father comes home drunk, yells at family, goes to bed'. I knew I had to get you out of that hellhole. So, I took you to my parents' house where your father would never find you… they always hated him, anyway. They knew he was a drunk, and no-good liar. I knew they'd never tell him you were there."

"So why didn't you ever come to see me in those 7 years?" The confused boy asked, bewildered. Mai merely sighed and shook her head.

"Your father."

"What?"

"Your father. Drunken bastard or not, he had friends in high places… somehow he twisted the divorce case into getting a restraining order to prevent _me_ from seeing you."

"What?!" Nick and Alyssa rang out in unison. She was just as distressed about this news as he was; Alyssa was, after all, almost like a sister to Nick when he was younger. Mai merely nodded her head.

"Yeah. I don't understand how he did it… but I guess money makes the world go round, after all," she sighed, shaking her head and slamming a fist on the arm of her chair. "I hope he rot—"

Just then, someone burst into the lounge. From the looks of the man, it was one of Mai's men hired to patrol the tournament and catch any rule-breakers. The dueling police force of York, you might call them. "Miss Valentine, we've got a troublemaker. Two of them, actually. They just defeated a whole group of duelists and keep screaming something about a Tarot card."

Mai and Nick both immediately stood up; Mai figured that Nick was merely exercising his attitude towards vanquishing troublemakers. She didn't suspect in the slightest that he might have a Tarot card in his possession. "I'll take care of them… god, I hate these things sometimes."

*  *  *  *

Outside at the location of the disturbance, a pair of cloaked men stood in the center of a large clearing bordered by frustrated, confused, and angry duelists. They'd just beaten a younger pair of fighters, and cards were scattered all over the floor.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Mai exploded, stamping her foot in anger. Many of the duelists in the crowd seemed relieved to see her as she pushed her way through, and the cloaked figures were no different. "What have you done to these duelists?"

She was referring to the state of the pair he had just defeated. They were babbling like idiots, completely unaware of their surroundings, as though their minds had been completely played around with.

"They are not _worthy_ of the title Duelist!!" one figure bellowed. Even Mai couldn't help but feel a wave of fear wash through her body, as did Nick, as the creature spoke. He was thin and hunched over, and his body was covered completely by a billowing black cloak—only his eyes, which glimmered a violent silver, were visible from beneath the shadowy folds of his robe. The other figure looked the same, but much more submissive, as though he was perhaps the first figure's servant or henchman.

"This is just a god damn tournament! They aren't here to prove themselves, least of all to _you_!" she screeched at the figures, taking another step towards them. Nick couldn't help but feel a little bit proud to have such a passionate, defensive mother; meanwhile, Alyssa had found a new role model. "Just get out of here now, before I have my guards drag you from the city by your heels!"

"We duel."

"What?" she asked, momentarily stunned, her form relaxing in the moment. Despite her rather seductive look—she was dressed in a while blouse, purple jacket with gold buttons, purple high-heels, and a purple miniskirt—she looked just as forceful as any of the pro duelists here.

"We duel. If you win, we leave the city, and your pitiful excuse for a tournament. If I win, you give me your Tarot card."

Nick immediately stepped up beside his mother; "Why do you want my Tarot card? Who are you?!"

The figure paused for a moment, looking towards Nick. It seemed as though this wasn't the turn of events he had expected but, as his eyes gleamed with anticipation, the situation appeared to be just as tantalizing.

"You will know me only as Halis. This is my partner, Silah. Now… enough talk! You and I shall duel!"

"You're on, you caped creep! I guess it's two on one, unless your quiet little friend there wants to join in." Mai boasted. She knew the duel would be easier if it was just her and Nick versus Halis, but a part of her was thirsting for a real challenge. "Activate HDS – Holofield Dueling System!"

A state of the art piece of technology surpassing even Seto Kaiba's Duel Disk device years and years earlier at the Battle City tournament, the Holofield Dueling System actually places the duelists in a holographic rendition of the arena. Field cards change their surroundings, and the crowd cannot be seen—though the crowd can see them. Immediately, the duelists were engulfed in a shroud of darkness, and in an instant, their podiums rose before them. The vast expanse between them seemed immeasurable, the dueling field where the cards would be represented in the third dimension.

"Let us begin!"

Mai took her turn first, drawing a card from her deck. "Don't worry, boys, this will all be over soon. I'll play two cards face down, and play Harpie Lady in attack mode. That ends my turn." All four duelists knew that the Harpie Lady wasn't particularly a powerful card. Nick, being a Harpie enthusiast himself, knew that there was more to her than met the eye. Halis and Silah, however, were more worried about Mai's face-down cards than her winged-beast.

"I will go next," noted Halis, drawing a card from his deck. "I play Dragon Zombie in attack mode. It's more than powerful enough to destroy your Harpie Lady; Dragon Zombie, destroy her monster with Putrid Breath!"

A wave of rotten gas rolled across the field as the zombie merely let forth a breath. It threatened to eradicate Mai's Harpie Lady, but the duelists didn't exactly seem worried. "Reveal magic card, Harpie's Mountain Kingdom!"

A field-magic card designed specifically for the harpies, the kingdom appeared all around the duelists. Harpies of all ages, sizes, and shapes sat watching the duel from within the grand hall, and it looked to be a very serene place. More importantly, however, it's effect powered the Harpie Lady's attack by 100 times its level—with 1700 attack, the Harpie Lady was strong enough to withstand the blast.

"Alright, Harpie Lady, counter his attack with your scratch!" Mai ordered, and the lady-shaped beast responded. It leapt forth through the grand hall and tore into the Dragon Zombie, not only vanquishing it but dropping Halis' life points by 100, to 3900. The cloaked figure muttered annoyedly.

"Very well. I'll place these two cards face down and end my turn."

"Then I believe it's my turn to go," said Nick as he drew a card from his deck. "To protect my life points, I'll play the magic card Falcon's Wind. This rare card allows me to Special Summon any Harpie Card from my hand without tributing any monsters first; I choose Harpie's Stone Sphynx in defense mode." The card appeared on the field, with the body of a lion, the head of a female, and the wings of a Harpie. The creature was made purely of stone and didn't look like it could attack at all. Looks, however, can be deceiving. "Thanks to the effects of Harpie's Mountain Kingdom, my sphynx's defense increases by 600. It's attack would increase by 600 also, but thanks to its effect, any attack bonuses become defense bonuses instead; that means this card's defense is now 4200!" The stats showed up on Nick's podium for a moment: the card had no attack points, but an immense 4200 defense points. "I'd like to see you crumble that. Just to ensure that you don't, I'll lay one card face down and end my turn."

It was Silah's turn, then, and he made it silently. His card was drawn in utter silence, and he made his move just as quietly. The figure played the card Skull Servant in attack mode, as well as laying two cards face down. He merely waved his hand towards Mai to signify that his turn was over and hers had begun. She looked at him in a confused manner, and then laughed.

"A Skull Servant? THIS is your partner, Halis? Looks like you'd better actually teach him to duel, first," she taunted, drawing her card. Hey, it wasn't her fault that Silah had shoddy dueling tactics. Deep inside, however, she knew that she had to be wary; no duelist, no matter how awful, would play a card that weak without some kind of plan to back it up.

"You'd be wise not to underestimate Silah, girl." Halis began with a chuckle.

"We'll see about that," replied Mai. "I play Elegant Egotist, allowing me to summon the Harpie Lady Sisters from my deck. Powered up by 600 points, these little darlings are more than enough to handle whatever you might throw at us. That's not all, though; I reveal my face-down magic card, Harpie's Feather Duster! This rare magic card will get rid of ALL your face down magic and trap cards; that leaves your and your partner in serious trouble."

It didn't look like Halis or Silah had anything that could possibly counter the attack, as they let their cards get discarded easily. Neither one seemed particularly phased, however, retaining their calm composure.

"You look awfully content considering you're about to lose. Harpie Lady, attack Halis; Harpie Lady Sisters, get rid of Silah's Skull Servant and a big chunk of his life points!" Halis' life points dropped to a miniscule 2200, while Silah's Skull Servant was vaporized, along with 2250 of his Life Points—this left him at 1750. "You know, boys, I was expecting a little more of a challenge. I haven't seen this kind of shoddy dueling since Duelist Kingdom."

"You won't be so bold soon, miss Valentine," chuckled Halis. "Our master has already told us the outcome of this duel, and you're playing it exactly as he had predicted."

"Oh god," muttered Mai, shaking her head. "Not more of this 'I can predict the future' nonsense. The last time I heard something like that was from Yugi, who said someone tried the same tricks at Battle City! Well, that time it was for real; I don't think I trust you two clowns, though."

"Believe what you will, but our master's power is real. Everything is going according to plan."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," grumbled Mai, "Just make your move already."

"I will," noted Halis, drawing his card. "Just as I suspected. This duel is coming to a close."

"Yeah, for you maybe," laughed Nick.

"We shall see. I too shall play Skull Servant, in defense mode, along with two face down cards. That ends my turn."

"Another Skull Servant? Maybe you ought to ask your "master" for some retraining, boys," laughed Mai, shaking her head.

"Mom, maybe we should be careful," Nick cautioned. "They've only played a single monster worth attacking with, and that was their Dragon Zombie. There must be some purpose behind these Skull Servants."

"I know, I know," she whispered softly to him. "But the cardinal rule of dueling is that it's a mind game as much as it is a card game. You can never let on what you're really thinking, not if you want to keep your opponent guessing."

Nick merely nodded with a smile, and drew his card. "You're still a long way off from crumbling my Sphynx, so I see no need to summon any more monsters just yet. Instead, I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

"Running out of options, boy?" taunted Halis. Nick shook his head with a smirk.

"Far from it, you caped freak. Silah, I believe it's your turn."

The diminutive figure nodded solemnly, drawing his card for the turn. In what seemed to be another stupid move, he also played a Skull Servant, silently. He also played a card face down, and in the same silent way, motioned for Mai to take her turn.

"I don't know what you think you're up to, but you certainly aren't doing it well. First, I'll lay two cards face down. Now my Harpie Lady will destroy your monster…" she chuckled to Halis, "and her sisters will destroy yours. Ready? Go!"

All at once, both Halis and Silah shouted something, "Activate trap card, Waboku!"

This was, indeed, the first time Silah had spoken in the entire duel, and his words were like an omen; Mai and Nick both felt like, now that he was speaking, they had completed whatever plan they were hoping to achieve.

"These trap cards will keep our life points untouched, even though our monsters still go to the graveyard," Halis pointed out. 

"Hmph," chuckled Mai, only slightly annoyed. "Fine with me. Make your move."

"Indeed. And I should thank you, miss Valentine. You've helped me more than you know."

"Well, you're welcome for whatever I did, but don't count on it helping you too much."

"I think you're wrong. Because now that you've sent three of our Skull Servants to the graveyard, you've allowed me to play this card: Revival of Creaking Skull."

As the card came into play on the field, the Harpie palace was suddenly filled with wild wailing and moaning, as though the souls of the dead themselves had arrived. The holographic harpies that were sitting around the grand hall covered their ears, as the wailing was too much for them. It was indeed lifelike, and was a sound that even Mai and Nick couldn't endure.

"These are the wails of the Skull Servants you destroyed; and thanks to my Magic card, I can revive their restless souls."

"So you're going to revive your Skull Servants? Oooh, scary," Mai joked, knowing that there was something much more sinister in store for her. Remember, duel monsters is a mind game, after all.

"Not quite, miss Valentine. Their souls will be resurrected in the form of a great beast known as the Creaking Skull!"

He wasn't kidding, either; a great crack in the floor of the palace gaped open, and from within it clambered out a skeletal beast of gigantic proportions. Its head was clearly several times the size of its body, and cracked as though it had seen several battles and better days. Its arms had no hands where hands should be, but rather sharpened scythes of bone. Its legs were small and frail, unable to support the weight of its massive head. Its statistics flashed on Halis' viewscreen. Its defense, like many zombies, was a frail 0; however, with an attack of 3200, it was easily strong enough to decimate both Mai's Harpies.

"Meet the Creaking Skull, our ultimate beast and the bringer of your demise!!"


End file.
